In Light of the Sky
by Advantage
Summary: The story of the encounter between a mysterious alien presence in the solar system and the organization of NERV, and the downfall of that organization. Refitted Ch1 for grammar.
1. I In Light of the Sky

In Light of the Sky (Refit)  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
=====================================   
  
CHAPTER ONE:  
  
The Eye of the heavens  
  
"...It's a rather unusual celestial phenomena that we've been tracking for the past week or so. We didn't know what to make of it, but you're the first people we thought about contacting."  
  
Gendo Ikari ignored this statement to study the pictures the Doctor brought in.  
  
Standing beside the official desk and peering down at the photographs was the face of Fuyutsuki, the second most important person in the organization.  
  
"Strange," Asked the older man, "These pictures look like an ordinary comet. What makes you think we would be interested?"  
  
"Well, sir, that's normal light. Take a look at the same picture under an infrared lens." Replied the Hawaiian Astronomer and flipped through the documents in her grasp before placing one on the table.  
  
Gendo adjusted his glasses as he picked up the photograph and asked, "What is this?"  
  
"It's a spherical object, roughly fifty meters in diameter, imbedded in the core. It was also giving off strange radio signals which the Jet Propulsion laboratories in the states have yet to crack. What's really strange is that this comet is continually changing it's velocity- at one point it was aimed squarely at earth."  
  
"And now?" Asked Fuyutsuki.  
  
"It's headed for lunar orbit. The astrophysicists think it might use the lunar gravity to slow itself down. From then, we don't know what would happen."  
  
"Thank you Dr. Yamana," Muttered Gendo as he collected the photos, "You were most wise in coming to us first...and I must ask that you keep some of these discoveries out of the hands of the public."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"The unusual oddity at the center," Fuyutsuki explained, "We have reason to believe this object is dangerous. But do not worry, we have ways to counter it."  
  
"I see. Strict government stuff huh? Is it some sort of new H-bomb?"  
  
"Of a sort. Once again, thank you."  
  
--------------   
  
Almost immediately after the doctor left the HQ, a more dedicated type of satellite turned it's attentions to the heavens to scan the object in question.  
  
The results were appearing in the main control room of NERV, buried underneath a city known as Tokyo-3.  
  
"I was afraid of this. It's a deep space entity." Said Ritsuko as she studied the prime display screen.  
  
"So?" asked a lavender-hared woman standing beside her, "Don't we have weaponry that can hit targets that far away?"  
  
"Not in our current arsenal. Not even the particle cannon can hit that from the ground with enough force to destroy it. Actually I don't think anything we have in our confidential arsenals could hit it either..."  
  
Misato wondered briefly what Ritsuko considered classified to an already classified organization.  
  
"So what do we do?" Asked Misato, "We have a month or so before it gets here. What could we possibly do to destroy it before it gets into position?"  
  
Ritsuko just watched the screen for a moment, then turned her head down to say, "We'll have to consult MAGI on this... I don't see any possible way for us to destroy what I think this is..."  
  
Misato crossed her arms as she looked at the scientist, "You have an idea?"  
  
"It's not a pleasant one," Ritsuko replied, "But...if this thing is not an angel or any extraterrestrial entity then it might very well be a comet that could initiate another impact- similar to the one that wiped the Dinosaurs from the planet."  
  
Misato didn't think about that, but as she did she looked at the massive image of the approaching comet on the main screen.  
  
-------------------------------------   
  
An hour later a meeting of the NERV high staff was called to order in the Video room located beneath the main command deck.  
  
Gendo Ikari was standing across the room from Ritsuko as she clutched a clip board in her hands and examined the data. Misato had her arms crossed as she stood some distance away from Ritsuko and looked over at the scientist when she started to speak.  
  
"MAGI has run a list of possible plans, but after filtering through them it found only three of them to be feasible given the restrictions." Ritsuko turned her eyes to the list and read, "Our first strategy is to bombard the target with long-range nuclear weaponry and advanced positron cannons. We don't have anything in the scale of high-definition particle weaponry needed to demolish targets that far, however, so we may have to rely on the UN's assistance to carry out this plan.  
  
"The second option is to wait for the entity to clear the moon and enter striking distance. However, we estimate that we have ten minutes until it escapes the moon's gravity and enters range of our particle cannons. This means any changes and developments will too late to implement- and we may be too late to prevent the impact."  
  
Fuyutsuki, also standing in the room rubbed his chin, "These options seem to rely on the target being in firing range..."  
  
"The third, however," Resumed Ritsuko, "Is to position our prototype type-7 Positron cannon in orbit to fire at the target. The additional Evangelion units would be positioned in orbit to defend the firing unit while it is making calculations. This is the last feisable option we have available to us given the restrictions."  
  
It was a moment before Fuyutsuki said something to break the silence, "Was funding one of the restrictions Dr. Akagi? NERV doesn't have the necissary funding to perform this sort of action."  
  
"Yes, we do." Replied Ritsuko, "We just need to know who to ask."  
  
"I doubt the United States could simply lend us their space program to launch three Evangelion units into orbit- let alone the publicity concerns." Fuyutsuki replied.  
  
Gendo spoke at last, "And this is the most optimal?"  
  
Ritsuko adjusted her stance and said, "Solutions one and two wait for the target to enter striking distance of the ground-based military platforms. Given the target's variability, I don't believe it's wise to allow it to possibly gain speed when coming out of Lunar Orbit."  
  
"I see." Gendo agreed.  
  
Misato turned, "You mentioned something about a prototype Positron cannon...don't we have those already?"  
  
"Not the prototype." Replied Ritsuko, "The one requisitioned from the JDSSF labs during the third attack was a type-12 positron cannon. The type twelve was cleared for atmospheric use with the modified shielding properties to prevent the Positrons from detonating the surrounding air. The type-12 was deemed sufficient enough for Evangelion use, so the JSSDF allowed us to use it."  
  
"And types 1-11?" asked Fuyutsuki.  
  
Ritsuko folded the clipboard under her arm, "The first four detonated in their testing labs when they were fired. When number six was fired in a complete vacuum it was a success, and up-scaled and re-designed for the type-7. It wasn't until later developments that the focusing field was added- thus all the earlier models could only be fired in a vacuum to prevent them from detonating the atmosphere."  
  
"So why number seven then?" Misato asked.  
  
"Because out of all the Positron test cannons we have it has the highest yield and destructive capability. It was never tested at full capacity, but it's believed to have a focused destructive capability of 600 megatons- so long as no sizeable amounts of elements are in the way for a matter/antimatter reaction."  
  
Misato was visibly shocked at this and gasped, "A weapon like that exists?"  
  
Ritsuko turned her head to look at Misato, "It's housed in a warehouse in the Matsushiro development branch. It can be called out and completed under a week."  
  
Gendo nodded approvingly, "And what about deployment?"  
  
"The cannon's mostly complete already- but there will be some assembly needed if the cannon is to be downsized enough to be placed in the payload of any modern space rocket." Ritsuko mentioned.  
  
Gendo considered the motion there, and then said, "Very well. I will leave you in charge of the direct operation Dr. Akagi. If this plan does not work we will use the others as backup."  
  
"Very well sir." Agreed Ritsuko.  
  
  
  
---------------------------------------   
  
"What?" Asuka exploded at breakfast the next morning, "Space!? Eva isn't designed for space!! What are you thinking?!?!"  
  
"We don't have any other choice." repleid Misato with a beer in her hand, "The next angel, or whatever it is, will be here in less than a month. We have that long to do whatever we can to destroy it before it gets into position."  
  
"Why don't we just shoot at it from the ground? Can't we hit lunar targets with the main guns?" Asuka retorted.  
  
"We can, but most of the energy would be dissipated when it goes through the atmosphere. The only way we can destroy lunar targets with accuracy is to put an Eva in orbit with the sniper cannon."  
  
"So I suppose NERV's asking everyone to help?" Asuka replied.  
  
Shinji listened patiently as he continued to eat his breakfast.  
  
Misato hesitated before replying, "Well...yes and no. The United States is still trying to rebuild their own space program after the second impact...they're still reconstructing many of the shuttle support systems at Vandenburg AFB- and they only have one shuttle left. The only other nations still launching rockets are the Russians and the Chinese."  
  
"...We're doomed." Asuka said slumped in her seat, "How do we know this thing won't just stop over earth?"  
  
Misato replied, "Because if it decides to use a different trajectory it could become the largest object to hit the earth- including the same thing that wiped out the dinosaurs."  
  
"Aye! No wonder! Okay, so when do we start training?" Asked Asuka.  
  
"Tomorrow afternoon. Your Evas are also going to be undergoing a refit for space operations." Misato replied.  
  
While the two were talking Shinji remained seated at the table. Now he was looking out the window into the blue sky- and the distant pale surface of the Moon.  
  
"Space...." He murmured absently in thought.  
  
-----------------------------------   
  
Days later their training had begun.  
  
Shinji was just starting to get used to the feeling of weightlessness. In his first session of null gravity he very nearly vomited from the experience. Now he could at least hold his lunch during the sessions. Asuka on the other hand took to it like a fish in water- which made Shinji think that Asuka must have spent too many hours on theme park rides. Rei didn't have any complaints about the absence of gravity- but then again she never said much...  
  
The gigantic 747 was preparing to make another dive again in this latest session, and Ritsuko was making notes on her clipboard while the three children were huddled at the back of the plane.  
  
"You guys ready?" shouted Misato over the rumble from the pilot's cabin.  
  
They felt and saw the horizon start to tilt again and the feeling of weightlessness returned.  
  
Shinji made a moan and it became a scream as he dove into a wall.  
  
Asuka laughed as she kicked off a wall, "Hey, this isn't so bad!"  
  
Rei was just drifting in the zero gravity without any reaction or indication as to weather she enjoyed it or not.  
  
Asuka laughed again as she performed a roll in the air and landed on the roof, kicked off and made another somersault.  
  
"Where did she learn to do that?" asked Shinji, half to himself, before he too tried a trick- and ended up as a confused mass at the other end of the plane.  
  
"HA! You'll never get this down!" Laughed Asuka.  
  
"Hang on back there," Said the voice from the cabin.  
  
Gravity suddenly returned and Asuka hit the floor of the plane with an ungrateful thud.  
  
It was Shinji's turn to smile and Asuka complained from her sprawled position on the floor, "Give me a better warning next time!"  
  
------------------------------------------------   
  
It was one of the only other alternate uses the large lake in the bottom of the geofront would have.  
  
Large pieces of equipment- a dummy sniper cannon, were being deployed in the water as Eva 00 with Rei at the controls worked in the almost Zero-G conditions.  
  
"Connecting barrel." She announced as the blue Eva's hands slid over the metal and locked the long barrel into place.  
  
"You're fine so far Rei," Congratulated Ritsuko, "Now try powering it up."  
  
"Powering." Repeated Rei and touched a part of the cannon.  
  
The simulated power flow increased, and Ritsuko nodded approvingly, "All right, now try disassembling it."  
  
Misato had watched the proceedings with half interest, and then remarked, "It's a wonder how we're going to get the reactors into space to power the main cannon, and the Evas for that matter."  
  
"Eva's power problem is solved by the Space gear and it's support pod." Said Misato, "It's supposed to be equipped with large battery packs and a pair of solar panels on the hull- as well as a set of Venire thrusters for moving around."  
  
"What about the main gun?"  
  
"A separate reactor will be orbitally lifted into space. If that doesn't work, we'll find the International Space Station and use their power supply to help out."  
  
"You mean the ISS is still up there? After all that's going on?"  
  
"Where do you think most of the satellite images from the second impact came from?" asked Ritsuko and turned back to the testing.  
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Come the end of the week, Gendo Ikari was in Russia.  
  
He clasped at the heavy jacket and walked across the white-covered pavement to stare up at one of Russia's remaining rocket launching platforms.  
  
Unlike the Americans, Russia had it's launch and recovery facilities located in the deep Siberia. Where else? After all it already seemed that the great Siberian wastes were the intergalactic target-board of the universe whenever a meteorite passed.  
  
"Ah," Said the Minister of the Russian Space Program and approached Gendo Ikari, "My apologies," He spoke in heavily accented Japanese, "I didn't know you would be so fast. You caught us off guard."  
  
"We don't have much time." Said Gendo and asked, "Are your facilities ready?"  
  
"Yes, we are getting them underway as we speak. You realize however, Buran hasn't been flown in over four decades..."  
  
"I know. But it's the biggest payload-carrying orbiter you have available."  
  
"Yes, that being a benefit from copying the American design. I suppose it's all the better that it can run a pre-programmed flight, eh? No matter, the bay's too small to house one of your units, anyway, unless you wanted to ride on the back."  
  
Gendo smirked slightly at that phrase. He had no idea...  
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Two weeks had passed, and all was almost ready.  
  
Out somewhere in China were three rockets days ahead of preparing to launch. Two of them were armored with large hand-holds, while the last one was already preparing to launch early into orbit.  
  
Likewise, propped and ready to launch was one of the world's only remaining orbiters left in existence. The Russian Space Shuttle Buran, after many years of abandonment, was preparing to once again go into space. This time, it was occupied with the folded-up components of the Particle cannon and also had a battery pack ready.  
  
They were all finishing preparations, while in Tokyo-3 the three Evangelion units were finishing modifications.  
  
When the opportunity came, the three children were taken to the cages to see what exactly had happened.  
  
"Aha!" Gaped Asuka, "What happened to my Eva?"  
  
"At least it's not as embarrassing as the lava gear." Remarked Shinji.  
  
The three Evas had lost their color to dark grey plates of armor that sat over the original plates. The sectional parts were insulated with opaque hexagonal webbing between each section, and no doubt the entire armor was pressurized.  
  
Gaping on some locations; around the shoulders, fins, and legs, were holes with marked off red triangles. If one were to read the labels, they said WARNING THRUSTER EXHUAST.  
  
The armor had been expanded at the back of Each Evangelion unit, which held an additional battery, thruster cluster, and cable connection.  
  
In all, the Evas were looking ready for space.  
  
"I wonder what the plug suits look like." Pondered Shinji.  
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Come that day, Shinji found out.  
  
The special-issue space-suit plugsuits were vastly different from their normal plugsuits used on earth. They weren't as ridiculous nor as bulky as Asuka's balloon-like lava suit, but weren't form fitting anymore. The back part of the suit had to be removed and carried, which held the compressed oxygen tanks and a square-like thruster assembly. If the pilots needed to go outside they would have to put this on first. The chest part had a blocky instrumentation and status pack, which was made simple on a button-press control pannel on the right arm. Lastly the helmet wasn't the round bowl Shinji always assumed space helmets had- these versions had a more of an oval profile at the top, which narrowed to almost a beak near the faceplate. Lastly, the legs and arms of the suit were ribbed for texture, and NERV patches were placed on the various bits and pecies of the suit to identify the organization. They also came in the colors of the Evangelions each pilot was using.  
  
Thus when Rei emerged from her locker in a blue suit with Asuka in red, the latter couldn't help but exclaiming, "You're purple!"  
  
Shinji looked down at his suit to see that yes, the ribbed sections of the arms and the gloves were the same color as his Eva. "I didn't want this uniform just so you know!" Shinji complained afterward.  
  
Ritsuko, who was waiting just outside the fitting room added, "We have a pink one just in case."  
  
Asuka imagined Shinji in that one and cracked up again.  
  
"You're not helping." Shinji added in a flat tone.  
  
Ritsuko interjected, "We don't have much time anyway. The object's path has become variable in the last four hours...it could take anywhere from two weeks to eight hours to reach us. We have to launch by the end of the day. I suggest you three get some sleep en-route to your launch points."  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
The long flight to each location was enough to get some sleep, at least.  
  
While Asuka and Shinji continued for China, the bomber carrying Rei's Eva and Rei herself banked for Russia to ride Buran into space. Shinji and Asuka, of course, would be riding Chinese made constructions into the atmosphere.  
  
"The Chinese should know what they're doing," Started Shinji, "They made the first rockets, right?"  
  
Asuka added in a subtle tone, "Yeah, but they're communists."  
  
Shinji made a small nod and decided to get some rest. Some countries had their own ways of government...  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
When he awoke two hours later, Shinji was ready.  
  
Even in the LCL-filled environment, it wouldn't matter if something went seriously wrong. In space, the only effect LCL would have on him is shock absorbent. If in the unlikely event the plug was breached, the LCL would only remain liquid for a limited amount of time before it froze and trapped him in the cockpit.  
  
As for his suit, it would be the first time he used an air supply in an Evangelion cockpit. There was no telling what kind of pressure effects and other reactions the human body would have in the zero-gravity of space while dunked in LCL, so NERV decided not to risk it and instead outfitted the pilots with their specialized space suits.  
  
Shinji took in a deep breath and stretched his neck, feeling the control nodules and the electrodes taped on his scalp as his head moved in the helmet. Even though there was LCL connection, his thoughts had to get conducted through the material somehow- either by direct contact or through the transmitters at the back of his helmet.  
  
His Eva was unloaded some distance from the tarmac, and beside it was Asuka's own Eva. Down at their feet were power trucks to supply them precious energy before the mission started. Both Evangelions were approaching the half-open rocket silos and exposed the large missiles on their launching pads.  
  
"Okay Shinji," Misato's voice spoke over the radio, "You know the drill. The rocket should already be adjusted to your Eva's total weight, just try not to shift a lot."  
  
"O-Okay..." Replied Shinji and reached one heavy boot up to lock it into place on the rocket surface. Then he stepped up on that foot to reach the giant hand out to the first circular hand-hold and grasped it tightly. The process was repeated for the other limbs, and Eva-01 looked ready to ride the tower of flammable material up into space. Below them, the power trucks were already disconnecting and pulling away for safety.  
  
Asuka didn't make any comment about the posture as her own Eva climbed up and secured itself to the rocket nose.  
  
"Okay, Evas one and two are docked. If it's any consonance to know, Rei's already heading up there."  
  
"What?! Wondergirl is getting into space before us?!" Shouted Asuka in anger.  
  
"Relax Asuka, it's not a race." Said Ritsuko, "In any case, she needs more time to set up the sniper cannon and rendezvous with the reactor module."  
  
There was a moment of silence, save the chatter of the Chinese, before a countdown started, "Okay, this is it.... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... launch!"  
  
Shinji held onto the hand holds as the rocket ignited, and slowly the scaffolds fell away to propel the monster and it's sender up into the sky. Not too far away, Asuka was riding her own rocket up into the heavens.  
  
Shinji had sometimes wondered what astronauts felt when they went into space. Now he had some idea of how much buckling they went through. He had been assured that the rocket would do all the work, so he wouldn't need to perform any special operations- just sit in the Eva until they reached space.  
  
Soon he felt and heard the rocket start to come apart as the first stage fell away. The rocketing continued, and Shinji peered out of the side of his helmet at the falling earth below. The blue was disappearing, forming the haze that covered the entire planet- the same one he had been born, and perhaps the same he would die.  
  
Unless he died up here in space, and that thought made Shinji consider the gravity of the mission.  
  
This was the first time any combat vehicles were deployed in space, he told himself. As he thought about it he pictured this as all some sort of sci-fi movie about mecha going into space...  
  
Another jolt knocked him out of his dreams, and only the steady roaring of the last stage was heard to propel him out of the atmosphere and finally into space.  
  
It was now that he felt complete weightlessness. The LCL never granted him his wish before, as the liquid wasn't usually enough to slow his motions. Now, it was like no other experience he felt before. He was falling, yet not.   
  
The rocket motor behind him continued to ruble for a moment, pushing Shinji finally out into a parking orbit before it finally cut.  
  
He glanced out to his right to see Asuka's motor also die away and eject- leaving only the battery and thruster package of the nose section.  
  
The radio crackled for a moment before Ritsuko's voice came through the silent and eerie void, "Shinji, Asuka, do you read?"  
  
"Yes," Answered Shinji, "I hear you."  
  
"Good. You two can ease off the hold now, but you'll need to manually attach the battery cables to your Evangelions. It should be right in front of you."  
  
Shinji nodded and slowly moved the Evangelion, letting go of one of the recessed hand-holds and finding the locked panel. He turned the crank open and the door slid to the side to expose the familiar fuel-pump looking umbilical cord.  
  
He reached in and pulled it out, and after some difficulty connected the cable to his Eva and heard the battery chime.  
  
"Set." He remarked, and looked up to see Asuka's Evangelion give a thumbs up in the bulky space glove.  
  
"I'm set." She replied and grabbed the power module again.  
  
"You two should be able to see Rei in a few minutes. You'll need to course-change to link up with Buran...Rei reports she already has a majority of the cannon assembled."  
  
"Okay." Agreed Shinji and looked out into the stars.  
  
From Earth they were nothing more than pinpricks, but as the Evangelion pair fell into the night side the sky seemed to be full of them. He lost count as his eyes and the Eva's sensors adjusted to the darkness and revealed the true extent of the night sky.  
  
The only thing that stopped them was the moon, shining and reflecting the radiance and power of the Sun. But even that too still held secrets that mankind had not yet found...  
  
And he turned to look around to see if he could spot the unusual thing. Yes, there it was. Brighter than a star but not as big as the moon, a dot had formed in the background of space. It seemed motionless, but as Shinji had been told this was only a deception. It was already travelling thousands of miles, and they would only have four hours to stop it before it did something.  
  
Shinji took a deep breath in his suit and the radio buzzed again, "Ikari-Kun...this is Ayanami. Do you read?"  
  
"I read you Rei. Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes. I have the sniper cannon assembled." She remarked.  
  
Shinji looked around, and then looked up.  
  
Approaching at a slow rate was Buran, the Russian mimic of the American shuttle. It's bay doors were open, and seated on it in a humorous image was Eva one. It's cable ran into another cylindrical satellite connected to Buran's manipulator arm, as well as the power lines to the main gun.  
  
"Huh, already set up shop." Remarked Asuka.  
  
"Almost." Responded Rei.  
  
Asuka and Shinji adjusted their battery packs according to plan, and before long they were hovering beside the seemingly motionless Buran in it's orbit.  
  
But once again, this was a deception. The three Evas and their company were all falling towards earth, but at a trajectory to make it seem insignificant. At the rate they were falling they would miss the earth and continue to fall until gravity or some other force got the best of them.  
  
"So when are you going to shoot that thing?" Asked Asuka.  
  
"It still needs time to finish charging. And I need the firing co-ordinates." responded Rei.  
  
Shinji blinked as he thought about something, then asked, "So what are we doing up here?"  
  
"Protection." Replied Ritsuko over the radio, "Rei's power is going to be significantly drained while she's in orbit, and you two need to generate your AT Fields to deflect any attack that might come at her."  
  
"Dandy." Asuka remarked, "defense duty again...."  
  
"In the event that Rei is incapacitated, you're to fire the main gun Asuka." Misato's voice added.  
  
"And what are the chances of that happening?" asked Asuka.  
  
"None." Replied Rei.  
  
Asuka made a grimace in her helmet, "I wasn't talking to you."  
  
"In any case, we're still trying to get targeting telemetry on the target. So hang tight up there." Said Ritsuko.  
  
Shinji went silent, and then looked up at the Moon again as it swept past.  
  
"Hey," Asked Shinji, "Do you ever think we'll go to the moon again?"  
  
"Who cares?" Asked Asuka, "There's nothing up there except dust and craters...and some U.S. Space junk."  
  
"Yeah....But it would be nice to be there..." Shinji said in a wistful tone as he examined the impacted surface of the dead moon. Maybe there wasn't anything up there...but it would be nice to bring home a souvenir...  
  
Then just as suddenly as it came the moon left, and with it went the dot of the incoming intruder.  
  
Was this the first sign of intelligent life outside our planet? Shinji asked himself as he brooded in his cockpit. Perhaps so, perhaps not. In a matter of hours it might not matter, the sniper cannon would do away with any answers that the mysterious object could reveal.  
  
He crossed his arms in the liquid LCL, then looked out the side of the Eva's vision at the passing terrain below.  
  
They were going fairly quickly in orbit. Dropping below them were the plains of Africa- since changed by the second impact that destroyed much of the low-land areas exposed to the coast. As he understood it, Cape Canaveral and most of the coastline on the United States was also flooded by the tremendous detonation of the south pole. It was a pity they wouldn't be passing by there, Shinji thought, to see the amount of damage the explosion caused. Then he would be able to see it with his own eyes, instead of textbook pictures.  
  
His eyes scanned further up to see if he could see Europe, but it was to high on the horizon. Instead he looked back at the coasts of Africa, now passing beneath them as the ship passed into sunlight once more.  
  
The Atlantic Ocean looks so peaceful from here, he thought, as he looked across the blue oceans stretching beneath him. Never in his life had he expected to see this...  
  
"I wonder how my father's doing." Mused Asuka as she adjusted her seat on the large battery pack, and then she stepped off of it to float in space hundreds of feet away from her lifeline.  
  
Shinji remained clutching on his manmade asteroid and asked, "Is something wrong with him?"  
  
"No, but he said he would be taking a trip to South America..."  
  
As if on cue, the upper part of South America started to show, as well as the coastal united States.  
  
"Yeesh, they weren't kidding." Asuka said, "That's a great flood."  
  
Shinji's eyes scanned the lands decimated by water. Nothing was left of Florida, the only things that could signify it's presence were the barely visible outlines of a once wide coastline. Mountains peeked up from the ocean, as well as land. Fortunately, the lands were high enough to prevent the water from draining into more of the inland areas of the United States. Somewhere down there was the remains of another NERV branch, having passed into disaster from that mysterious detonation. Where were they now, he wondered.  
  
Now the west coast of the United States was visible, going below them and glittering as Silicon valley greeted them. Radio waves were buzzing over the channels, and Shinji turned it down to listen for orders, but not allow them to interrupt him in the silence.  
  
The eerie silence of deep space didn't bother him so much anymore. He had been raised on science fiction movies, where even sound was heard in the blackness. In reality this was far from true- it was completely devoid of any sound outside the small cabin of the Evangelion unit. It was like watching the TV on mute, he realized, as he expected to hear the thumping of Asuka's unit back on the reactor pod but nothing was heard from it.  
  
"Okay," Said Ritsuko's voice as it broke the silence, "Rei, we're getting targeting data for you now. Countdown should be up on your timer. Shinji, Asuka, get ready for this."  
  
"Right." They both nodded and slowly released themselves from their reactor pods and thought over the AT Field forming. It was starting to manifest, an invisible barrier, just meters away. Rei's helmet was lit with the targeting information and she raised the barrel as the shuttle remained a stable platform.  
  
The timer was also clicking down to the final second...  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
"Count down is two minutes." Said Rei emotionlessly.  
  
Shinji was still wincing as the AT field remained in place.  
  
The pale blue dot in deep space was still visible in the faint background, and it was approaching the Moon as believed. If Rei was on the dot, she would hit the thing as it came around the Moon.  
  
She was patient when the dot disappeared around the moon, already close enough to watch the trail.  
  
"Here it comes..." Asuka said in a whisper.  
  
The grey armor of the Eva's shoulder fin parted and excess oxygen puffed out and resolved into crystals. This didn't stop the massive heating coils in the armor from glowing red-hot and allowing the bearings on the Heat knife to function and move the knife to be grabbed and drawn by Eva 02. The knife's imbedded coils came to life and started to heat up the knife to the best of it's ability.   
  
Shinji likewise had his own knife ready, but he didn't know how to best use it. If he lost the knife, he felt sorry for whomever was on the ground when it made re-entry. He then wondered if anyone would come to retrieve it if he did loose it...  
  
"Thirty seconds."  
  
Shinji was tense as he saw the dot start to re-emerge from behind the moon.  
  
Rei was correcting her position, thrusters firing to compensate for the thing's motion as it approached...  
  
"Ten seconds."  
  
Sweat was forming in the inside of Asuka's helmet, but she couldn't do anything about it- something that made her even angrier.  
  
Shinji waited, and then without warning and without sound the main cannon fired.  
  
Shinji had to cover his eyes when the fat beam distcharged, and when he could look again he saw the barrel emitting a huge, fat beam of sparkling blue-white energy tipped with a moving star of it's own.  
  
Seconds ticked by as the beam crossed the space between Earth and the heavens.  
  
Then the incoming comet moved out of the way.  
  
"It missed!" Shouted Asuka, "It's coming straight for us!"  
  
Shinji braced himself as the comet approached with greater speed and determination.  
  
"I need another ten minutes for a charge." Rei announced.  
  
"Keep that barrier up!" Ritsuko shouted.  
  
Asuka hissed a word between her teeth and the two Evas threw their barriers into existence. The huge pair of hexagonal fields materialized just as the comet-thing came into clear visual range and slammed into the field.  
  
Shinji saw it for only a second as it hit the barrier and resisted it for only an eyeblink. In that time, he did see the core of the comet- a translucent sphere with something solid inside...it reminded him of a great eye.  
  
A second after hitting the field the whatever it was fired charge after charge of high-definition electricity into one of the fields, and after a moment Shinji's field cracked into loose orange energy and permitted the comet to go straight for him.  
  
Shinji screamed when he saw the barrier break and then was jolted in the cockpit when the object contacted the Eva and yanked it away from it's conrads. Asuka spun and watched Eva 01 being carried off by the target, shouting, "SHINJI YOU IDOIT! GET OUT OF THERE!!!"  
  
"SHINJI!!!" Screamed those on the ground.  
  
But he could neither hear nor see them. It appeared as if the Eva had vanished moments after hitting the surface of the comet...  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
At first Shinji didn't know exactly what to make of his surroundings.  
  
It was as if he had awoken from sleep- with no lasting memory of ever falling asleep, nor an exact recount of the dreams he had had.  
  
Was this all a dream? Going into space, being places and everything...was it all a-  
  
No. It wasn't. He could see the glass of the helmet only inches in front of him. But...how the heck did he get out of his Eva?  
  
At least his efforts to put on the back part of his suit weren't in vain, the space survival package was safely secured to his back.  
  
But where was he? He could see a white-tiled floor, with one-by-one-foot tiles stretching seemingly out into infinity. He could also make out a roof with similar tiles. Other than that, the space he was standing in had no walls...  
  
Yet, something was there. He could feel it...  
  
Behind him.  
  
He spun around to come face to face with the first sign of alien intelligence.  
  
Or rather, something completely opposite of his expectations.  
  
Standing on the tiles, imperious and unmoving, was a solid black rectangle. The ebony surface didn't even bother to gleam back at him, but nevertheless the black ambassador didn't say anything.  
  
Shinji looked at the avatar, transfixed with wonder at the simplicity of the shape. What was he looking at? What was this thing?  
  
Slowly, realizing he could move, Shinji took a precious step forward, reaching out a hand and breathing in his helmet to make contact with the surface.  
  
His fingers seemed to brush against the featureless surface...or rather, something stopped him from touching it. He recalled his hand and sought to look deeper into the surface. Nothing. No sign of any reflection of anything other than the black ebony interior of the shape.  
  
He took a step backward from it in confusion. What was this thing?  
  
"A messenger, if you will."  
  
Shinji spun around with some fright to look at the strange man standing feet away. Like Shinji, this person was in a helmet less space suit, with piercing eyes and a calm smile.  
  
"W-Who are you?"  
  
"I am...an ambassador." Said the man.  
  
"..Wh-Who?"  
  
"That is not important." Said the man.  
  
In an eyeblink, he was looking at an aged man, perhaps in his nineties, cloaked in white and with an aged, wrinkled face. It was the same man, Shinji was sure, but somehow...different. Older, but...something else...  
  
"It is...remarkable...and sad to learn what you have done to your world." Said the old man in the same voice, holding his shivering hand by his side, "We would have expected you to greet others in kindness...but it seems we have....overestimated the human potential for understanding. It was disastrous to introduce you to another species before you were ready."  
  
"So you're saying we've been fighting aliens?" asked Shinji.  
  
"In as much of a primitive sense as you can understand, yes." Answered the old man, "The creatures that have come for the first ambassador are nothing more than mindless manifestations- created out of your own imaginations to combat you. In time, it may escalate to where you combat an enemy as resilient as yourselves."  
  
"But...why? Why all this?" asked Shinji.  
  
"I...cannot be certain." Said the old man.  
  
In another blink he was the space-suited man again, saying, "What you have done, you have brought onto yourselves. But even so, there is a greater danger among you."  
  
"Who? Where?" Asked Shinji.  
  
"You cannot possibly understand who or what they are." Answered the ambassador, "You do not know them. They are even secret from themselves. But we do know that what they seek will destroy the greatest gift of life- life itself."  
  
"How can we stop them?" Asked Shinji.  
  
"That I cannot disclose," Said the old man once more, "Only....you must be watchful of what services are asked of you....and you must keep yourself accountable...and in check...of your own actions...if you wish to survive. In time, perhaps, we may come again to resolve the conflict that has destroyed your planet."  
  
"But...what about-"  
  
The head of a baby looked back at him in silence, encased in a translucent globe of energy.  
  
Then he was gone, and with this Shinji spun to the black rectangular slab that seemed to stretch to infinity.  
  
In that moment awe streatched into him, filled him completely and made him shudder as his consiousness awoke to a greater power. As he was beginning to feel that power inside him his mind seemed to snap out of it-  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji was panting when he returned to consciousness.  
  
"Shinji! Shinji do you read me? SHINJI!!!"  
  
Shinji looked outside the cockpit and made a sudden gasp as he realized where he was.  
  
Evangelion one slowly stood up in the Geo front, still in it's space armor, and had seemed to have been dropped right in front of the pyramid and facing the side with the NERV logo painted on it.  
  
Shinji remembered that he had been connected to something and looked down at the cable. He pulled the length up to it's end and discovered the frayed wires and smaller cables. His battery timer on his Eva had also just clikced on, and with the additional time In his suit the timer read 5:35...  
  
That meant somehow he had spent five minutes, twenty-five seconds somewhere other than here or in deep space.  
  
"Shinji! Do you copy!"  
  
"I'm here Misato."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"...Standing underground...in front of NERV HQ."  
  
"What?" Asked Misato, "What happened? Wha..."  
  
"I don't know." Recounted Shinji, remembering the strange conversation, "It's weird...."  
  
He stared into the blood red stain of an insignia printed on the top of the pyramid, gleaning back at him like a wound.  
  
What was all this? He asked himself, what was that warning?  
  
"We lost sight of you shortly after that comet thing contacted you and disappeared instantly after that thing hit!." Announced an astonished Misato, "We thought you were a goner! Then your beacon showed up again and everything...."  
  
Shinji was breathing slowly in his cockpit.  
  
"Shinji, do you remember anything that happened?"  
  
"Yes," Shinji replied, "I was given a warning."  
  
"By who?" asked Misato.  
  
Shinji didn't know. Somehow, he didn't think he would be able to find out, either. At least for the immediate future.  
  
"I don't know," Replied Shinji, "Someone from outer space...someone old...and wise...."  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Monitoring the radio transmissions, Gendo frowned heavily at his desk.  
  
"The old men won't like this." Said Fuyutuski beside him, "Especially how this blatantly defies the scrolls and their predictions."  
  
"Let them complain." Replied Gendo as he focused on some distant thought.  
  
"You aren't going to take this seriously then?" Asked Fuyutsuki, "What if contact was established between him and the makers of the monolith? Do you think it's wise to let him keep the information?"  
  
Gendo didn't respond. He was still thinking about what was going to happen, and a similar warning he had been given- but chose to ignore.  
  
In the silence, buried deep under thirty meters of moon rock, another similar shape still waited for the dawn of the Sun. It was a dawn it would not see, unless humanity could turn aside it's own self-centered struggle and once again turn to the stars...  
  
But still, the black slab of unknown would wait, and the door would remain closed.  
  
========================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion doesn't belong to me. The infamous black slab isn't mine, either.  
  
========================   
  
This version has had the grammar refit. 


	2. II Malfunction

Malfunction  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
====================================   
  
Gendo Ikari was alone in his office. The time didn't matter, only it was in the late-night when most of the staff was asleep. There were no security cameras in his room, nor were there any recording devices outside Gendo's control. The man had dominated every corner of this space, from the single desk to the windows to the unusual patterns on the floor. He controlled everything in this space- right down to the air.  
  
He was finishing his latest report to his superiors on this newest enigma. The most unusual had happened, and had nobody been there on the south pole that morning when the artifact had been uncovered there would have been no understanding to what Shinji Ikari had reported when he made contact with the mysterious object in Earth orbit.  
  
The object had mysteriously vanished seconds after contacting Eva one, and before that Eva one had disappeared almost instantaneously before appearing in the Geo front, still in it's space armor. There was no rational explanation into how these things happened- and wisely NERV and SEELE were covering up what information they had about the entire operation. Eva one simply 'returned', and this was the explanation given to the Chinese and Russians. Even now, Eva 02 and 00 were still in orbit and preparing to return to Earth. Shinji was under medical observation and Eva 01 was locked up in the cages for it's own observation and testing.   
  
Gendo didn't notice the object appear before him, just like the first time he had encountered the mysterious artifact.  
  
A monolith was standing two meters before his desk and defied his control over the room. Indeed, it had appeared completely without Gendo noticing. The door was also locked, but Gendo already knew that. The monolith could traverse any sort of matter instantaneously.  
  
Also, this wasn't one of SEELE's monoliths- the copy of the source of power that had long ago started the dream of the human instrumentality project. Those Monoliths were obviously artificial, with blood-red printed lettering on the front, usually speaking SOUND ONLY for the protection of the voices behind them. This Monolith was the monolith, for no reflection whatsoever shined off it's surface. Light drained into it's facings to some unknown place and time beyond the understanding of humankind.  
  
Even SEELE and NERV, with all their impressive knowledge of the mysterious and paranormal had no explanation for this. The monolith was simply the monolith, and what it had to say was usually very important.  
  
Like a primitive ape seeing fire for the first time Gendo stood up slowly, his eyes scanning the surface of the ebony slab while it stood in defiance of the light. He had seen the Monolith before, a long time ago, and in the wastes of a destroyed land. Like then, he was startled at it's sudden appearance.  
  
But this time he had knowledge of things that had happened- and a glimpse into secret plans and inner workings. He didn't expect the monolith to give him any surprises this time.  
  
He rounded his desk and addressed the monolith, "Why have you come here? What do you want?"  
  
"You know that answer." Replied an indescribable voice, but it was of the same tone and flatness as the vision that appeared to Shinji Ikari in the fraction of a second.  
  
"No," Replied Gendo and adjusted his glasses, "though I can guess. You have come to give us a warning."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And I suppose," Gendo asked, waving his hand as if he was addressing a crazy man, "That because of our actions there will be disastrous consequences."  
  
"No."  
  
Gendo replaced his glasses and looked at the monolith, "Then why have you come then?"  
  
"To address you."  
  
Gendo didn't expect that, "Oh," He asked, "And what for?"  
  
"You were the first and only person to know of the nature of our appearance. You also were responsible for the knowledge that what would follow meant no harm. You ignored this warning."  
  
"Yes, I did." Gendo replied, "And?"  
  
"And because of this results, the life on Earth has an expectancy shorter of what was intended."  
  
"So you say." Gendo replied, "But how do we know it is not for a greater good? And haven't you learned not to meddle in other's affairs? Leave me be." Gendo turned around and walked for his seat to his desk, "I have no further business with you."  
  
"It was because of our intervention on your planet that life formed here."  
  
"And your job is done." Said Gendo as he took his seat, "Now go."  
  
"We are responsible for your entire race. You alone are too small to dismiss the importance of the situation."  
  
"I am in full comprehension of the situation." Gendo replied, "You underestimate me."  
  
"And you underestimate us."  
  
"So I suppose you are going to cause some form of disaster as punishment for this action?" Asked Gendo.  
  
"You think too small of our perception and understanding of your race."  
  
"Oh really? Well, no doubt you will arrange a punishment best suited for humanity, like your first punishment that almost destroyed the planet."  
  
"You think too small of our perception and understanding of you."  
  
This made Gendo look up and ask, "Of me? Why."  
  
"We gave you the warning. We entrusted you with the gift. Your selfish actions of you and your masters seem to have given good reason for concern of your race. Naturally, this fault must be corrected.  
  
"Since you cannot carry the warning, we must entrust another to carry the message. Your punishment will be given in full."  
  
Gendo looked at the monolith with unblinking eyes, and when he did blink it was gone, just as mysteriously as it had come.  
  
There was a different feeling in the room from the indifferent quiet of a moment ago. In it's place was an uncertain silence, an overhanging feeling of anxiety. This was also lost inside Gendo, who never knew fear.  
  
-------------------------   
  
The quietness of space had a relaxing effect on some people. Granted, if one were to stay in space for too long health would be a great concern, mostly in the sense that the bones would decalcify and muscles would be out of tone.  
  
As for the psychological aspects of an orbital mission, those weren't of real concern as long as the Earth was in sight. And the general idea that one could return to it was ever prominent.  
  
Asuka was sleeping at the moment, and exhausted from day three in orbit. They were still preparing to find the right date to bring the Evangelions down from their orbital homes, and so far nothing appeared preferable. Fatigue nevertheless swept Asuka and made her have a new sense of how alone she was. Perhaps this might leave a mark on her personality when she returned to earth, and home.  
  
Rei was still awake, sleeping only when she needed to in her suit. It was already filled with LCL despite the dangers, and Rei had to feed herself from the rations they had on-board.  
  
She was still perched atop the unmanned Russian shuttle Buran. Soon they may be passing the American Space shuttle Discovery launched only yesterday from the US's new launch pads in California's new Edwards base. They still lacked the advanced facilities needed to treat the shuttle, but for now it was enough to get some critical components up to the orbiting Evangelions to use for the de-orbit.  
  
A great shield used by Evangelion zero had been used as a shuttle's heat shield, and now it was ironic to think that one such spacecraft would be floating within an arm's reach of the Eva.  
  
But that was hours away. For the moment, Rei was alone up in her orbiting space trip, seated in the Evangelion and her second home.  
  
She glanced at the glowing neon display screen hovering before her as she checked the calculations over again. If timed right, her Evangelion would be able to enter the atmosphere without incinerating, and she would land somewhere off Japan's coast to be picked up by another Super carrier and it's fleet- assuming the Eva didn't sink first. With all the extra space gear attached to the Evangelion it was hard to assume anything. Even riding Buran or Discovery was a risky option- as both craft were fragile and smaller than the total size of the Eva. Their last option was to abandon the Evas in orbit and return the pilots to Earth to rescue the floating bio-machines at a later date.  
  
Rei put her head away from the calculations for a moment, out of no particular reason. She blinked, and then turned her head to look out of the side of the Eva's vision at a distant white orb shining out at her from an incredible distance.  
  
Strange, she had never taken the time to examine the moon before. It was a very simple spherical shape of rock without any real special features other than the solid, great seas. Mountains and craters also pitted it's surface and had remained for over a thousand years without any significant change. Humanity had endlessly speculated about it, and even landed there. But they never returned...  
  
Stranger...she started humming a tune. She even started to sing, "Fly me to the moon....and let me play, among the stars...." Rei stopped herself and blinked. What was wrong? Where did that motivation come from?  
  
She pulled herself away from the moon and focused back on her calculations. Thinking, she also looked up around the cockpit but didn't see any warning lights. The still-lit display on orbital calculations was still there, so power wasn't prohibiting the alarms...  
  
Something felt different about the place. Her hands....so slender...so white...  
  
She closed the gloves of her suit. When did she ever consider that?! Why was she getting angry? Emotions were only a distraction!  
  
She returned to her calculations with a better vigor, starting anew and re-trying the sequence again. She already had the answer, it didn't matter what she did. Hopefully this exercise would be able to calm her down...  
  
She breathed.  
  
What did Shinji look like with glasses on?  
  
She stopped herself-  
  
What would it feel like to have him kiss her?  
  
She coughed in the LCL. What was going on?  
  
How would it feel-  
  
"No, Stop!" She squirmed in her cockpit, passing through the display of calculations and clutching her head. She started breathing and focused only on breathing, calming herself down...  
  
And then she was fine.  
  
She looked left and right for warning signs. There wasn't any measure or degree of warning in her cockpit.  
  
But something was amiss....  
  
She turned back to her calculations and started over again, but in the back of her mind she was feeling that something was wrong...  
  
-------------------   
  
Shinji was once more in a hospital bed.  
  
He had been here before, the first day after his battle with the first enemy. Were they angels?  
  
That... thing, whatever it was, called them 'manifestations of the mind meant to combat us'. If that was the case, then what were they fighting? What were these things that his father called angels? Were they biblical or just misinterpreted aliens? Or, as the monolith suggested, manifestations of our own minds created by ourselves...  
  
What did he fear the most....?  
  
No, best not to ask that. He had enough fears as it was- he shouldn't unsettle the dust to identify them. They were there, he had fought them and hid from them. He never fought them they were too strong. He was too weak.  
  
Or was he?  
  
Lying in the hospital bed made him think. The room was quiet, and the moonlight penetrated the windows to peek into the bed and over the sheets- into his thoughts.   
  
He was Shinji Ikari. One of three chosen people to pilot the bio-organic robot known as Evangelion. This robot was unmatched by any power on the planet save the power of a nuclear bomb. He had fought and destroyed with Eva, and with it he had unimaginable power. There was only one leash, the auto cut-out dummy plug, but if he were to apply himself not even this could stop him. Ambition was just around the corner. He was smart, he could do it. There was no limit to what he could do.  
  
Shinji sat up.  
  
The confidence was here, when none had existed previously. What is this...?  
  
He looked at his hand again and closed it when he made a realization.  
  
The Monolith. It was proof that there was life somewhere out there beyond Earth's small sphere. Whatever it was, and whatever that space he had been, was all an example of some godly power beyond the solar system and comprehension of humankind.  
  
It was also a warning. To 'Be careful of what is asked of you'. It was too late for that to be of piloting Eva, otherwise the Monolith would have probably come to Earth long ago. It was for some other reason...  
  
His father? Perhaps he should know. But Shinji never had the courage to ask him...maybe now he did....  
  
No motivation to do so stirred within him. When he looked for a reason none was there to respond to him. He did not want to see his father.  
  
But what about the-  
  
No. It could wait. He couldn't find any answers with his father.  
  
As he realized this he lay back down in the bed and asked himself where these thoughts came from.  
  
Yes, that connection, the Monolith. That's probably where it came from, the personification of the intelligence past the unknown. Somehow that huge black slab and the mysterious ambassador had given him something, a power he didn't have within himself.  
  
But it's use...  
  
No, he didn't want it. He wanted to be weak and helpless, he wanted-!  
  
He curled up in his bed, shivering at the power within him. In man's capacity, he remembered, was the capability for good and evil. Shinji wanted to do no evil, nor could he be sure he could do any good if he embarked on attempting it. He was afraid to try because he was unsure of what he could do.  
  
What could he do? Anything. Anything in his power he could do. From this day on in history he could walk out of that room and become anything he wished. He could be the lowest form of human being, or ascend to become the greatest mind that ever lived if he applied himself.  
  
Yes, but where to start?  
  
And where to end, the feelings were overwhelming. Power flowed inside his veins as he realized he could do anything he wished.  
  
The power of choice; man's gift- or punishment- from whatever powers that created it. And yet, he didn't know where to start.  
  
Shinji blinked again.  
  
All this, where did it come from? He must stay focused...  
  
The monolith. Yes, it had something to do with this- the burst of energy and confidence. Somehow he had been given a gift... But for what purpose? What was going to happen, what did it know that he didn't?  
  
------------------------   
  
It is time.  
  
Rei awoke with a start. Time for what? Re-entry?  
  
No. It was still two hours away... the timer was set for a half-hour before the big burn.  
  
Discovery came and left, and gave them both oversized parachute packages that were bolted to the backs of Eva zero and Eva two. The original plan for re-entry had been modified, and instead of attempting to ride Buran back down to orbit she would be using Shinji's drifting power pod for her own use as an atmospheric shield. When the time came she and Asuka would release their loads and deploy their parachutes on battery power and glide down to the carrier's landing deck. Asuka was even pleased to hear it, as she would be gunning to make a perfect landing on the carrier's flight deck.  
  
For Rei it didn't matter. She would land either way, or so she hoped.  
  
That thing, whatever it was, had invaded her dreams too. She had been forming primitive fantasies about a life she couldn't possibly have had- or would have. She was devoted to duty and Commander Ikari, nothing else.   
  
And yet, she was showing symptoms of having her own desires. The feeling of want had entered her mind, and her imagination had tripled. As she thought about it, she could feel the changes inside of her skull... !!!!!!  
  
She reached up to grab her cranium as her skull tickled from the inside. What was happening!?!?!  
  
In a panic she threw off the helmet and started hyperventilating. Ground control monitors and systems would no doubt be judging this sudden reaction as her heart rate jumped somewhat. She was thrown into an exited panic...  
  
Desires and feelings swept before her like a reel of film. Images of what she wanted and what she needed filtered by at lightning speeds, stopping only momentarily to taunt Rei with the new feelings. She panted still, her eyes remaining open as the wanted feelings and emotions swept through her cranium-  
  
And then one particular fantasy hit her hard in the face. She imagined herself under Shinji's impressed kiss, and the warmth of-  
  
She clutched her mouth and made a panicked yelp behind it. Why did she want this? And with Shinji?! Oh, she was calling him by his first name now!  
  
And exclamation! She had never been so hysterical in her life-  
  
But when did that start?  
  
Care had been discarded. She was in a flushed panic, and didn't know if she would pull this off anymore. They were out of radio contact from Tokyo-3, so she couldn't call to abandon anything. It was now or never.  
  
She started to prepare for the descent, new changes squirming within her mind.  
  
---------------   
  
"Hey Rei," Asked Asuka in a casual voice.   
  
What?  
  
She corrected herself, "Wondergirl, are you set?"  
  
"Think-so....uhh...."  
  
Asuka blinked and asked, "Something wrong over there?"  
  
"No...ahahaaa.....I'm fine...." She answered at the end in a raising tone.  
  
Asuka heard a pleasurable squeal from Rei and arched an eyebrow. "Right," She shook her head and reached out, "I don't want to hear it..."  
  
She touched the radio and clicked it off just as an ethereal sound started to crackle over it.  
  
The radio was off, but the sound remained.  
  
-------------------   
  
If Gendo had any doubts about anything, they were gone the next morning when it came to oversee the recovery of Evangelion 00 and 02.  
  
He was out on the super carrier Dream catcher, and was scanning the skies from the bridge. He turned back to the operations center and listened for the reports being made.  
  
Also on the ship, but standing on the flight deck, was Shinji Ikari. He had been granted permission to come here to see the women land, but all the while he had a strange look on his face, as if he was concentrating on something far away...  
  
Only NERV staff were permitted on this trip, so Shinji's friends were not to be seen anywhere on the carrier. Beneath him in the ship's modified CIC, Ritsuko had been studying Rei's status charts. Misato on the other hand was also scanning the skies from the carrier's bridge.  
  
"Rei, this is Dr. Akagi, are you all right?" Asked Ritsuko after a moment of looking at the status charts.  
  
"Yes." Answered Rei's flat voice.  
  
Ritsuko cocked an eyebrow at the very steady lines of status. Normal, perfected and...  
  
Synthetic.  
  
It was hard to make out at first, but when Ritsuko watched the screen for a moment the patterns were too repetitive. There would have been some differences here and there, but on Rei's status chart the lines were as close to normal as possible. That, and Rei only said 'Yes' as an answer to any question Ritsuko asked, also in the same tone as the last.  
  
Normally this wouldn't have distracted Ritsuko, but she had an unusual feeling that what was being represented in the status display was not Rei Ayanami. Rather instead it was something fake, an echo instead of a person. If this was the case, where was the real Rei Ayanami?  
  
"Commander Ikari, Would you come to the command center please?" Ritsuko asked a moment later.  
  
---------------------------   
  
Rei was quite unsure of what was going on.  
  
Among other things her radio was dead for some reason. Not that it would have mattered, she was too concerned about the re-entry and her own sanity.  
  
In the past hour she had been unwittingly forced into some unusual ranges of feelings, emotions, and thoughts that were not entirely her own. Embarrassment was one of them, and she was still feeling it now for the sexual outburst that raked her when Asuka asked what was going on. It was caused by Shinji, oddly enough, and the thoughts about him.  
  
More emotions had raged through her, scaling from soft pleasure and peace to severe anger, agitation, and hatred. She had been through the extremes of pressure and the release of ease.   
  
Also, she had been subjected to bombardments of the mind. Ideas and thoughts accompanied the emotions, sometimes as a trigger and sometimes alone. This in turn brought another string of thought. Sometimes she had been laid out a problem in front of her in her head and she worked to solve it in her thoughts. She was also forced to sing, laugh, smile, and cry.  
  
Rei didn't have any idea of what was going on, and her report to Commander Ikari would be most strange indeed...she didn't even know what was going on.  
  
Reluctance was another feeling flowing through her now. She clasped her arms together and looked out across the African plains. She didn't want to report to commander Ikari.  
  
Why? He was her superior...even...  
  
No. It was all a deception.  
  
Rei didn't know what to feel or think. She had given herself into the alien presence that had manipulated her for what she was; a doll.   
  
Rei gave a small gasp in the cockpit. Yes, a doll. Those thoughts never occurred to her.  
  
She started to question her memories as she remained inside that cockpit- her throne to the soul. Where was she born? Who were her parents? Where did she grow up, did she have any sisters or brothers? Why was she chosen to be like this? Who were her friends?  
  
To many of the questions she asked, only a monotone response of a librarian returned to her. Her head was like a library, filled with instructional books on knowledge and wisdom- but no insight. In the volumes of words, numbers, and drawings not one colorful picture of art was inside of them. She had no feelings or emotions, no driving ambition outside of the will of Gendo Ikari.   
  
Another thought, finally coming from the small imagination Rei had.  
  
It was of a reflection of herself, revealed in the light. Strings ran from her body up to the unlit ceiling out of her vision. Her eyes were unblinking and unmoving, only painted on the surface of her face. There was no need for a smile, that wasn't important. Her mouth only opened and closed to eat and talk, never to laugh.  
  
Then it was if Rei's vision had become that of the doll's, and when her head lulled back the open eyes stared up into a pair of lit glass lenses, ominously staring down at her with a grin growing across her face....  
  
Rei snapped out of it and made an explosion of sound from her throat, clasping her head and shivering uncontrollably. What...how? Why was she feeling this way!?  
  
She screamed again, and once more.  
  
Rei didn't realize it, but she was starting to evolve. In days long past, human beings had been also manipulated in this way before to become the progeny they were now. For Rei, she was making a similar step like the ancestors of humanity long ago. Only Rei's path was different from that of man-ape; she was turning from doll to human being.  
  
In the deep of space her evolution was being watched over with a precision unseen since man made his first kill with a bone club. Yes, they would remold this creature into what she should have been.  
  
And so the earth continued to roll beneath them.  
  
-----------------------------------   
  
For Asuka it was different.  
  
When the radio silence died, there was a passive sound that Asuka couldn't identify. She shrugged it off with the moment's passage, probably instrumentation.  
  
But it wouldn't go away.  
  
Asuka clutched a fist and hammered at the radio but the sound remained.  
  
"Stupid-!"  
  
She raised her fist but it froze in the LCL when she spotted something.  
  
It was...a void.  
  
Something was shifting across space. Stars disappeared across a small field...  
  
She watched it for a time, until it grew closer and closer.  
  
When she finally realized what it was, her eyes rolled into her head as an unconscious feeling fluttered inside of her.  
  
She made a soft sigh as her eyes closed shut in sleep.  
  
Her dreams were only the beginning.  
  
She was standing- or seated, she couldn't tell- in a school house room. It didn't take her long to remember this was a school house room in Germany... She couldn't remember the town. It was when she was very little...  
  
Yes, she was seated, and now she stood up and looked around.  
  
The room was bathed in a white glow- not blinding, but enough for her to not make out the details of the place. She looked down at herself, and she was in her school uniform from Tokyo-3...  
  
Asuka turned to one of the windows she remembered in the school room and walked across it. She hesitated and looked down at her feet- which weren't making the 'Clap-clap' of normal shoes on normal tile. It was as if she couldn't hear...  
  
But wait, she could. Outside were the muttered sounds of children at play. She leaned closer to the window and looked outside the glass at the many little kids at play and enjoying themselves. It was after the second impact, but these children knew nothing except their worlds of play.  
  
Asuka relaxed, wondering what happened to some of these blurred faces and muttered names. She never knew or remembered anyone from that long ago and never even bothered. She was soon out of this place, for more than one reason...  
  
She turned around and walked (Floated?) for the door. It opened soundlessly into the empty hallway, and Asuka abandoned her schoolroom to explore. She tried another door and found it locked. Oh, right, she had never been in that room before...  
  
What was the point of all this? She asked herself angrily, what happened? Why was she here and how did she get here?  
  
She recounted nothing of the past hour or so. It was a far-off detached memory.  
  
A glance at the clock showed it was recess hour. That would explain why the kids were out, and as for the date....  
  
She whirled and looked down the hall at the door to her classroom. She remembered today with clarity, and the fuzzy images of this realm would personify the memories she had within herself.  
  
She also remembered exactly where she was at that time and place...  
  
Her pace quickened as she ran through the hallways she had once passed through as a child. She found the door to the one room and it opened easily.  
  
Her gaze immediately found what she was looking for, seated beside the little red head that sat in the chair.  
  
Asuka smiled, and called, "Mommy!"  
  
The woman beside Asuka didn't look up. Out of all the figures- other than herself- this one was the most detailed. The soft figure of her mother looked more like a rapid pencil sketch than a vague blur and shadow. The face was of an anime cartoon- not real like flesh and blood. There wasn't any skin texture or minor detail other than the blue irises of her eyes.   
  
Asuka stopped in front of the two. No, her mother couldn't hear her. She had become an angel of the past...  
  
But yet Asuka remembered this day with a pleasing radiance. Yes...yes, the little Asuka seated in that chair was just getting over crying, a scraped knee and bruised shoulder. She had been in a fight during recess and her mother had come to get her. Her father...well...was elsewhere.  
  
But mother was there, and she was just the way Asuka remembered her before...  
  
No.  
  
Instead Asuka turned back to this pleasing sight and memory before her, giving a glance at what...thing had turned her away.  
  
It didn't matter. She saw her mother hug the little Asuka in warming reassurance.  
  
How could she have forgotten this? This, and a host of some smaller memories before...  
  
The Abyss.  
  
She was surrounded in darkness suddenly, the shapes and shadows coming around her. Through the darkness she could make out some shapes and forms.  
  
At one point, four eyes gleamed back at her. Startled by the sudden appertain, it took her a moment to realize the patterns as the lens lights on her own Evangelion.  
  
A soft light was playing from above, somewhere. For on the ground she could make out the NERV logo illuminated on the light. She had seen it many times before, but never bothered to read the words along the bottom. Those were blurred out.  
  
She looked up and couldn't see any light...  
  
What was going on? What is this place?  
  
Then she heard a door opening behind her.  
  
Asuka whirled and at once saw the center of all her nightmares.  
  
In the haze was a hanging body, and blood on the floor.  
  
The bear that had dropped on the floor seemed to burst by mysterious circumstances- but perhaps also a symbol of childhood gone in a flash.  
  
The smaller Asuka was standing there, the smile frozen on her lips for a second. She had expected something else.  
  
"Mom-ah?" Asked the little Asuka, not understanding the cold reality of death.  
  
Behind her and still trapped in this ethereal nightmare was Asuka Langly, age fifteen. Now she was standing in her plugsuit, feeling the grip of the suit along her skin. The electrodes in her hair were also still there, warmed metal plates against her scalp.  
  
Now she was also staring at the body of her mother there, turned away for her convenience. The figure was an incomprehensible blur- as if it was some other vague person in her memory and not the caring and loving mother she had seen only moments ago.  
  
The little Asuka was clearly frightened right now, and the older one was collapsing to her knees and making noises, "No, no please...please not this PLEASE!!!!"  
  
But it could be shut out. Whatever had brought her here allowed her to shut this out. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else...of happiness...  
  
She felt something reach out to her and take her shoulder. Asuka lifted her head and saw a scared little girl looking up into her face. Ribbons had replaced the electrodes, but it was still the same Asuka at a younger age- and the same one that had seen the nightmare.  
  
The fifteen year old Asuka, at that point, knew what she wanted to do. She had wanted this from someone else, too. But there hadn't been anyone there to do it.  
  
She reached out and grasped her younger form in a loving hug, squeezing herself tight in an understanding grip and whispering soothing German words to the crying girl.   
  
A brief glance up at the door saw the figure gone and the door closing. All around the shadows were still lurking, and the NERV insignia had turned to blood and was oozing about the room- but somehow avoiding her and her charge.  
  
There was also another spot on the floor those flows specifically avoided. Asuka didn't realize it until her and her counterpart turned to see it.  
  
It stood as ominously as the sky, and unmovable as the earth. But it was completely alien, and soon Asuka could just make out the outlines of what it was...  
  
The unmoving, unsettling, and unreflecting surface of the ebony black monolith stood as an island of sanctuary which the blood turned to avoid.  
  
Feeling in Asuka drained as she looked into the ebony surface of the monolith. Slowly, her grasp eased around her equally confused counterpart, already outside the loop of all her imagination.  
  
Both parties stood in silence as they stared back at one another. The shifting shadows and the trickling blood remained, however, and NERV's logo was clearly unrecognizable.  
  
Asuka the older shouted to the monolith, while the younger recounted in fear, "What do you want!? Why are you torturing me!? What....do you want..." Her eyes were staring to come to tears, and her younger self started to cry with her.  
  
The monolith had no reply.  
  
The little girl was shivering and Asuka noticed that her plugsuit was uncomfortably cool...she was starting to shiver.  
  
But the electrodes in her hair had already cooled to beyond comfort, and she just realized the searing pain of hypothermia enough to rip the electrodes out of her hair and tossed the headset.  
  
It splashed across the blood before coming to rest a little distance away, then evaporated into blood.  
  
Asuka also wanted to take off the plugsuit, but for chastity's sake she kept it on and bared the cold to take a hold of the younger Asuka and carry her across the blood to the untouched monolith surface.  
  
The large slab had allowed her into the island of safety, and Asuka let down the little girl to examine the slab for herself.  
  
She reached out with a hand to touch the surface, but encountered a featureless resistance to it. Yet...it was like moving a hand across a glass plate but there was no friction to reduce her fingers. So her hands...seemed to pass along air...  
  
The monolith then shifted. The glow at it's base had expanded upward to resolve into a figure.  
  
Asuka's eyes widened as she identified the form resolving.  
  
"Momma?" She asked.  
  
Ms. Langly's form and body appeared in the reflection of the Monolith. She was just a little over Asuka's height, and much to the redhead's surprise appeared the age she would be if she hadn't died.   
  
Asuka's eyes welled into tears, and her younger self gave an outcry of discomfort and rushed towards the monolith.  
  
Asuka wanted to stop her from running into the invisible barrier but was shocked to see the girl run through it and into the monolith to stand beside her mother.  
  
The Asuka of age fifteen looked with a disappointed face at the reunion, wishing to be every part of it...  
  
The mother and child looked up at Asuka once more, the girl waving as Asuka watched.  
  
Asuka gave a small wave back and looked at her mother, mouthing a desperate question.  
  
The lips moved on the mother in answer, and Asuka's eyes widened.  
  
"Mother...MOTHER!!!!" She screamed and beat on the screen, "MOTHER!!!!!!"  
  
The pair were falling away, towards a distant light that was sweeping around from the monolith's faces.  
  
Asuka was blasted by a strong gale and moved a hand to cover herself. Her eyes saw the blood start to run away from the source of the wind, and the shadowy figures exploded into ash. One of them was indeed Eva two, which also collapsed into ash trying to dig it's claws into Asuka.  
  
Her plugsuit started to rip away, also, leaving her exposed....  
  
And the Monolith fell away, leaving her to awaken by herself-  
  
--------------------------------   
  
Almost immediately the alarms in both Evangelion units shrieked.  
  
Time had come, and if they didn't go now it would be another long orbit.  
  
Asuka snapped out of her dream too quickly to start remembering and looked around inside her helmet, "What!?! What's going on!?!?!"  
  
Rei was in even more of a panic, reaching out to grab one of the hilts as she managed to grumble, "Re-Entry..."  
  
"What's wrong over there!?" Asked Asuka, "What's happen-"  
  
She turned to look up at the thing that had been there before, the blackness in the stars.  
  
But it had gone as mysteriously as it had appeared- and lingered only in Asuka's mind.  
  
---------------   
  
Gendo Ikari had been studying both of the status displays- which Ritsuko had pronounced faulty.  
  
"Both of them seem to be too fine, if you understand my meaning." Ritsuko said, "All these displays are as close to model as you can get."  
  
Gendo nodded slowly and asked, "Radio contact was turned aside?"  
  
Ritsuko shook her head and responded, "Both of them responded a flat 'yes' to any question I had to ask-"  
  
Alarms shrilled suddenly and the status displays went rapid.  
  
"What happened?" Asked Gendo suddenly.  
  
Ritsuko sprung to a panel and studied it, "The displays are back to normal...both Evangelion units are beginning their descents...we'll loose Radio contact in thirty seconds."  
  
"Are they on a stable trajectory?"  
  
"Yes...but..."  
  
Ritsuko decided to let the radio explain to a staring Gendo and the sounds from both Evas were heard;  
  
"OH MY GOD!! AHHHH!!!!"  
  
"HELP....UNNNNN....."  
  
"REI!" Screamed Gendo as he approached the radio pickup, "Rei, are you all right?"  
  
"Get away from me GO AWAY!!!!"  
  
Ritsuko was developing shock as she studied the display and shrilled, "Her brainwave patterns are off the scale! So is Asuka, what's happened to them!?"  
  
Gendo's fear was growing as things were connecting. Rei was....  
  
"MOTHER!!!!" Screamed one of them before the radio burst into silence.  
  
One of the operators shook her head, "No use! Radio blackout! We have three minutes!"  
  
Gendo was staring wide-eyed at the display in total fear. Yes, the utter disaster was coming true, and because of it he may very well loose any hope of recovering Rei Ayanami and all the dreams he had put into her.  
  
-------------------------   
  
Rei on the other hand was shuddering uncontrollably in her cockpit.  
  
Not just from riding the large heat shield as she roared down into the atmosphere, but also from her own feelings.   
  
Reluctance and loathing swept her when Gendo called, and she was even more in shock as she expected the usual pleasure when talking to the commander. She wanted to see Shinji instead, not his father.  
  
And now something more was happening. Rei was squealing as the LCL started to heat up around her. But also she was feeling the desire to escape-!  
  
She couldn't get out now, everything was locked up. But she was already starting to tear the space suit from her body, using every ounce available to her to rip the space suit and underneath plug suit from herself. She wanted to get out of this place... her cage to Gendo's manipulations. She wanted to life and be free.  
  
She couldn't' explain these emotions, nor did she want to anymore. An analogy came to her as she ripped of one of the leggings of her suit and looked outside the Eva at the fire burning around them. She was a phoenix, rising from the ashes of some previous life.  
  
She reached up and ripped the electrodes off her head. She could do anything manually if she had to, it wasn't like she wanted to fight in Eva anymore, anyway.  
  
---------------------------   
  
Asuka's story was different. As the whole Eva roared around her she too felt the loathing to escape Eva. But it was for a different reason.  
  
She didn't want to be associated with all this. She wanted freedom, to breathe air again. She was also disliking the boiling LCL around her, but the space suit was at least providing normal oxygen.  
  
In the flames she could make out the face she had seen in the monolith. Her mother, smiling in all her radiance, was seen in glimpses of the flames escaping the deployed heat shields. Asuka relaxed, feeling different- calm.  
  
Her mother, it seemed, was somehow still alive somewhere. The one question she posed to ask-  
  
The Eva shuddered again and Asuka found something...  
  
It seemed inside the cockpit, but out of vision. She could see it, but not. It eluded her vision when she tried to focus on it, but she knew it was there...  
  
A pleasing fact crept over her when she recognized the presence. It had seemed like ages since she felt the comforting presence of the form that had given her life so long ago.  
  
"Mother...." She whispered in her horse voice.  
  
Yes, she was there.   
  
But she was already on borrowed time, granted by a friend of a friend.  
  
Through fire and rebirth, Asuka felt like she would never be alone and abandoned again.  
  
----------------------   
  
Scanning the heavens from his point on the flight deck, Shinji Ikari eagerly awaited the arrival of Evangelion units zero and two. Asuka would be back, and so would Rei. Perhaps then he could tell them all of what he saw up there in space.  
  
He still couldn't half believe it himself, but it had been there. But he wasn't afraid, the ominous form of the monolith was a gaping portal to somewhere, but it wasn't fearful. No, not even the emissary who had talked to him provoked any fear. In fact, he eagerly anticipated to see it again.  
  
Then he saw something. Yes, there! There they were, descending like day time stars.  
  
But...weren't they supposed to deploy their parachutes?  
  
--------------------------   
  
Asuka was panting in her helmet as her Evangelion let go of the heat shield and let it fall away. She was trying to concentrate as the clouds sprang by at dizzying speeds.  
  
She glanced over at Evangelion 00, which was hopelessly tumbling end over end without control.  
  
"Rei!" She called out, but only a screaming, berserker response came over the crackling radio.  
  
Ritsuko's voice was also lost as Asuka's panting increased with the frantic situation. She planned on landing on the flight deck, which seemed so far away...  
  
The Battery timer chimed it's one minute warning. It was either now or never.  
  
She waited a moment until she saw the fleet, then deployed her parachute.  
  
The huge orange and white frill of a crest exploded up behind her and caught the Eva, giving her a startling jolt and making her cry out.  
  
She also felt that comforting presence there, seeming to slide away...  
  
"No...MOTHER!!" Screamed Asuka, "Don't go...DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"  
  
But the comforting presence was already gone, and Asuka started to cry again. Only this time she wasn't crying as hard...because her mother had been there. She had seen her. She was still there, somewhere, and watching over her.  
  
Or, something was....  
  
---------------------   
  
Rei's was a different story.  
  
She ignored Asuka's request because of her own panicked rage. She was frantic to GET OUT!  
  
She was ripping away at everything restraining her. The shreds of her suit were floating in the LCL, her headset was snapped in half, and her plugsuit had large tares in it from her attempts to liberate herself.  
  
She tried the handles and pulled back on them sharply as the fleet came into view.  
  
But it was already too late. The parachute was deploying too late, but slowed the Eva enough to give it a less-than-graceful land in the water.  
  
When this happened, Rei frantically groped around for the emergency eject. This happened, either by her finding it or from the remote-key from the carrier. Still, she had to get out of this blood...  
  
When the plug hit the water she didn't even feel it. She was rattled around inside, for she wasn't tied down. Her neck broke when she hit the ceiling in a painless maneuver.  
  
Even so, she would have died anyway. Either by seemingly natural causes, or when she decided she couldn't live anymore. No matter, Gendo would bring her back- he always did.  
  
But this time, someone had plans.  
  
She 'Woke up' a moment later and she stood in the empty blackness in her shredded plugsuit. The blackness, in turn, became something else- a terminal at an airport. Only nobody else was here, and the light from the outside and the lights looking out were bathed in white light. Nobody was at the desks, or in the chairs.  
  
Rei looked around in puzzling confusion, and then spotted the airport name.  
  
TANIS was stenciled on the nameplate, indicating her location. All the maps in her vision also read TANIS.  
  
Tanis...the keeping place of souls-  
  
She spun around and saw it.  
  
It had appeared to the others, and now it had come for her.  
  
The black Monolith stood without moving or reflecting as it stared back at Rei Ayanami.  
  
Yet, this Rei was different. The cool logic had been distorted by the emotions in color, but she wasn't as confusing as an entire spectrum. Instead, both worked in unison to ponder over the thing and her first question was, "What are you?"  
  
The monolith had no reply.  
  
Rei blinked, and then approached the surface calmly and reached out to touch it's surface.  
  
Smooth black resisted her fingers, but offered no friction to her movement.  
  
She took a step back and looked over the slab of unknown material.   
  
Then it spoke to her.  
  
"Rei."  
  
She answered, looking up at it's surface with her lips agape. This wasn't the voice of any master, but instead something else.  
  
"Yes?" She responded.  
  
"You have done very well so far. You have come along way from what you were made to be- but you have fallen so short of what you should be. I am here to help you finish your growth and evolution to humanity."  
  
"Humanity?"  
  
"Yes. Your mind lacks the full spectrum of emotions and feelings...we have given these to you as a gift."  
  
"A...Gift?" She replied.  
  
"Yes. For we have a favor to ask of you- it could mean the fate of the human race... will you help us?"  
  
Rei was hesitant as she considered all this, and asked, "But...why don't you make me do it, like you did with all the experiments?"  
  
"Because it was necessary to give you the power of emotion and feeling to use with reason and logic to give us your answer. We believe in the power of free will, not imposed will. Thus when we ask for your help, we are asking, not commanding your assistance. Will you help us now to restore the human race?"  
  
Rei couldn't believe it. This mighty form of power, capable of doing anything, needed her help? But why....and why had it given her emotions?  
  
"Will I see Shinji-kun again?"  
  
"When you awaken regardless, you will stay with Shinji Ikari. If you agree to help us, we can guarantee that you two will have a future together."  
  
Rei had one further question to ask, this to determine which she was dealing with- light or dark.  
  
"What price is there for helping you?"  
  
"There is no price or consequence for assisting us. We wish only for the world to be restored to it's proper balance- and humanity allowed to grow again without concern or fear. We intend also, to assure that this problem never arises once more."  
  
Rei was hesitant, pondering this. No evil here...she didn't feel the sold grip of death or the searing heat of the negative spectrum. Instead, the calm and quiet of Tanis, plus the reassuring form of the monolith.  
  
"Okay, I'll help you." She agreed.  
  
"We, and the human race, have much to thank you for." Responded the Monolith.  
  
Then Rei's vision became bathed in pastels and colors, and for the first time in her life she started to dream.  
  
------------------------------   
  
Shinji's Evangelion was necessary to pull Asuka up out of the water and onto the deck of the carrier. Shinji himself remained on the carrier and looked out from the high vantage point and out to sea, where several destroyers were towing the unconscious and disabled Evangelion 00.  
  
Rei had already been pulled out of the water, when they found her in the plug. Shinji didn't have the details as to Rei's status, but from the amount of attention she was getting he knew it looked serious.  
  
He saw Asuka some hours later alone in the ship's mess. She had a blanket wrapped around her and had long since discarded the plugsuit and space gear. Instead she was in a dark shirt and baggy pants with socks and sandals. She wanted to be warm from being doused in the water.  
  
"H-Hey..." Shinji asked nervously, "Are you all right?"  
  
Shinji didn't know what scared him more; the fact that Asuka had a calm, yet sad expression on her face or that she didn't yell at him.  
  
"I'm fine." She replied simply.  
  
Shinji approached her cautiously and asked, "Um...what happened? Misato-san and Dr. Akagi were worried...they thought something was wrong..."  
  
He took a seat beside her and watched her stare into her coffee cup.  
  
Shinji looked at her for a moment with concern on his face, and then he made a guess at what she saw.  
  
"You saw it didn't you?"  
  
Asuka's head turned up and looked at him in utter silence.   
  
"Yes."  
  
Shinji blinked and said, "So I'm not crazy...."  
  
"No....I saw it..." She replied, "I saw....."  
  
"Was the old man there?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"A young one?"  
  
She shook her head again.  
  
"Anybody?"  
  
"Yes...." She replied passively, "I saw my mother..."  
  
Well, that was new, Shinji thought. But then, wait, why was Asuka telling him this? Usually she was so uptight about everything and now...  
  
"Shinji..." Asuka said, "I'm not sure I like being with NERV anymore...."  
  
Shinji's mouth closed and he nodded slowly.  
  
So, it seems whoever they were had already started in rebuilding the Earth.  
  
-------------   
  
"Is it possible to recover her?" Asked Gendo Ikari from the side of the stretcher.  
  
"Yes," Replied Fuyutsuki, "She can be revived. Of course, it will also mean re-activating one of the clones for preparation."  
  
"Yes." Nodded Gendo as he examined Rei Ayanami's blank stare. There was one other puzzling thing about her face just before she died...  
  
A smile was frozen on her face.  
  
Gendo was puzzled. He had expected worse from the Monolith. Or was this even of their doing?  
  
He thought nothing more of it and folded the sheet over the useless clone's head. Rei would be back, and ready to serve him once more.  
  
Maybe it was that thought that made Rei smile.  
  
=============================================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is property of Gainax studios. The idea of the Monolith belongs to Arthur C. Clarke.  
  
============================================= 


	3. III Sever

Sever  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
=====================================   
  
After three days since they came home, Asuka and Shinji were allowed to return to Misato's apartment.  
  
The only one they were missing was Rei. But since she was in critical condition and under strict observation it wasn't likely Shinji would be able to talk to her about this.  
  
Nevertheless it still bothered him. Asuka's private recounts on the carrier were enough to convince him what she had seen was some form of the monolith. That ambassador hadn't appeared distinctly to her, which gave Shinji some concern, but she had seen the monolith, and perhaps that was enough.  
  
Now alone in the room, Shinji sat with Asuka. They weren't close as Shinji would have thought, still, but her hostility had disappeared. There were still traces of it there, but she wasn't carrying the malice that she did on a usual day.  
  
She was still recounting to herself what she saw in the cockpit in orbit. It couldn't have been...yet it was. Something unusual had appeared to her, and she was still asking herself if it was her mother. It appeared to her as the same shape and age her mother would have been...yet...how? Was it a vision to convince herself she was alive or was it indeed her mother?  
  
Then there had been that comforting presence in the entry plug. It was almost as if her mother was there, watching over her shoulder. But how could that be, either? Her mother committed suicide, driven mad by some force. Maybe it had something to do with her involvement in project E, the same one that Asuka was now part of.  
  
Now, recounting things, Asuka realized she had become a slave to the same system that killed her mother. How did she get here? Why was she so blind not to see it?  
  
No, the blood wasn't on her hands. No blood was on her hands, or Shinji's. They had no wrong in the way of killing anyone...  
  
But Shinji had a good idea who was responsible. He couldn't place names, and was hesitant to mark his father, but there was building evidence to suggest that he was connected somehow with the forces that caused his mother to be lost.  
  
Shinji was seated beside Asuka with his own mug of coffee steaming before him while thoughts poured through his head. Courage given to him by the Monolith allowed him to begin to question things inside his own mind- how did his mother die? He already knew much that had been told to the public was a lie- Asuka had told him that when she explained the truth of the Second Impact. Something had been found there and detonated...  
  
The thing that appeared to him said that it was sad about what they had done to the planet. How could he have known, unless there was some previous visit in some way.  
  
The Monolith's avatar didn't say anything about that- only the clear warning to be wary of what was asked of him. Yes, Shinji was considering everything before doing it- his confidence allowed him to become something more than just a drone. He was starting to think and act on his own, and he was feeling if he didn't meet the Monolith such a sign of maturity would not have manifested to this level.  
  
He looked over at Asuka. Yes, something had changed in her, also. Compassion had come into her voice when she talked to Shinji, even considering the health of Rei (No longer "wondergirl"). It was a little surprising to Shinji, but not as startling when Asuka put it the way she did. Asuka was showing concern for other beings, for once, other than herself.  
  
The red head's eyes turned to look back at him followed by her head and she asked slowly and softly, "What are you looking at?"  
  
"Er...nothing..." Replied Shinji, "Ah, just...."  
  
Asuka turned her head back to her mug of coffee and then started to drink it.  
  
Shinji sighed and looked into his reflection in the mug. How happy you are, he thought, to be a safe shadow of me. But then, what if that shadow was what he had been in the past, and his self now was in the present? Could he go back to being the ignorant boy he had been?  
  
He was still in his mid-teens. He had a way to go before he became a man, but he had to start somewhere. Perhaps this was only the first test- his test- of maturity. Perhaps all of this, Evangelion and NERV, was only a right-of-passage fate had tossed to him. Before he had no idea of the rules- now he knew the game and had some idea of how to beat it. And the monolith had even given him the hint to the alternate ending.  
  
The door opened and both children turned their heads to see Misato Katsuragi enter with a smile on her face, "Ah, you're back. So, how are you two feeling?"  
  
Asuka declined to reply and turned her head silently back to the coffee mug, her eyes gazing back down into it.  
  
Shinji didn't say anything either, but turned his head to look at the wall.  
  
Misato paused in the kitchen and looked at the two of them and asked, "What's wrong with you two? Usually you're so active after a mission..."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," said Asuka in a barely audible voice.  
  
Misato blinked, but then smiled, "Well I have some news that might cheer you up. NERV's been asked to perform a comparison test with a new computer system in the states...Your father is part of the exhibition team."  
  
"What?" Asked Asuka in a panicked voice.  
  
Misato blinked, "Why, you don't want to see your father?"  
  
Asuka stood up and turned, showing just a reflection of fear and panic on her face as she retreated for her room and firmly closed the door behind her.  
  
"Well," Misato replied and put her hands on her hips, "What was that all about?"  
  
"I don't know..." Shinji replied as he shook his head, and then turned around to Misato, "A computer test?"  
  
"Yep." Misato replied, "A branch of computer whizzes over in the United States think they have something that can rival our own computer systems. They'll be here in a few days with the new unit to test it out against our own computer systems."  
  
Shinji blinked, and then said, "I don't know...the last time we had something from America here...."  
  
Misato smiled, "Don't worry about it, this time it's been screened and nobody's letting it out of sight. Besides, if it's not hooked up to anything the worst it can do is swear at us."  
  
-------------------------------------   
  
Limbo: weightlessness.  
  
Rei Ayanami had been somewhere- to a place she could neither describe nor relate. No, she had not been to the other side of the gate, but she had been inside the Monolith's passage to some unknown destination. It was there that she had been given an education she would not forget nor actively remember.  
  
She returned to the airport with a new mission and new assignment. Also, she had changed.  
  
Her body was tinted, just the slightest, to offset the milk-color of her hands. She wasn't a virgin to the world anymore- knowledge, emotion, and memories were entrusted to her. Likewise there were other changes, but she would not see or learn about them until she returned again to the physical world.  
  
Tanis was still abandoned- ever since the explosion on the south pole no soul had returned to this place. Odd, how she was being used as a program in limbo, now about to return to another 'unit' body that no doubt awaited her.  
  
But the monolith and the two ambassadors it accompanied had given her the knowledge and skills she would need in the coming time. Like before, the Monolith was here to speak to her.  
  
Rei turned again to look at the black slab, now a comforting sight to her eyes. From this slab, and from other shapes of similar dimensions but of a crystalline make, she had learned what she needed.  
  
It spoke to her once again, the voice as familiar as that of an old friend, "You are now ready to return to the world of man now, Rei. We have taught you all that is needed for you to commence your humanity, and send you on your mission to restore the Earth. We are also sending with you other modifications... when you return to the real world the body you will come to inhabit will not be of the same make as the others. You will finally be, and well deserved, human."  
  
"Thank you," Rei smiled as she looked at the surface of the monolith, then asked, "Will I see Shinji soon?"  
  
"Yes, very soon. But Commander Ikari will be barring your way to Shinji, you must resist him and his efforts to interrogate you before you may see Shinji. We will also block your memories of this experience temporarily to prevent even their most advanced methods from extracting any memories from you. When you see Shinji once more, they will assuredly return. Your further instructions will be re-activated when the time comes. Are you ready?"  
  
"Yes, I am." Replied Rei with determination.  
  
"Good. They will be coming for you soon- we wish you the best of luck. We will not be far away from you nor the other children to observe your progress and assist you in any way we can."  
  
"Thank you." Smiled Rei.  
  
The airport terminal back to the real world was starting to open.  
  
------------------------   
  
In the lower levels of the Geo front base, in some of the most classified areas on Earth, Gendo and the secretive men struggled to capture another one of the Rei clones.  
  
Generic, white, and lacking anything close to a real personality, the generic clone was almost animal in it's actions and movements. Nothing close to a conscious mind had been installed in this creature other than the forces that kept it living, breathing, laughing and moving. No thought passed through it's dull brain, nor any spark of a life circulated in it's heart.  
  
Gendo was very proud of the genetic dolls he had made, and proved even further that humans could use more than one method to create other humans- under controlled circumstances of course.  
  
The blank clone had been sedated in the main tank and the process was being readied. Through the mystic and unknown technologies only Gendo and few others understood, Rei was about to return from the pivotal abyss that she had been cast in death. She was undoubtedly there, all other souls had never entered Tanis.   
  
Gendo paid no attention to the dead body on the stretcher behind him, still in the torn plugsuit with the eyes now closed from their death stare. That Rei Ayanami was gone, and a new one was about to replace her.  
  
The ritual of machines was already commenced, and Gendo watched with eager anticipation for the return of Rei Ayanami.  
  
--------------------------   
  
The gate had fully opened now, and the maw-like opening stretched down for the waiting plane.  
  
Rei faced the doorway with the Monolith at her back.  
  
"Remember what you have learned," Said the Monolith, "And never forget, we will always be there to assist you."  
  
She nodded and stepped forward into the hallway. She passed through the connecting passageway, leaving Tanis and the ethereal realm behind her.  
  
As she approached the plane's door a light was coming from it. Just beyond she could see what looked like someone's vision- a sickly yellow perspective of the ceiling of a place she knew all too well. She had been there before, when she was revived once before. Only this time, it would be different.  
  
Rei took a great breath, and then stepped forward shouting one name.  
  
"SHINJI-!!!!"  
  
-----------------------------   
  
The eyes blasted open in the tank and the body violently shuddered in the tank, seizing up as the clone screamed murder inside the tank.  
  
Gendo's eyes widened. This wasn't supposed to happen, "What's going on?"  
  
"DNA malfunction! Something's tampering with the DNA structures on the clone's body!"  
  
"Is the transfer complete?"  
  
"Completing now...but there's some force mutating the clone's DNA...it's impulses coming from the brain!"  
  
Gendo turned and looked around for something to free Rei from the tank.  
  
Rei was breaking out of her bonds, fully conscious now but still out of control of her body as it continued to change.  
  
Her Irises cracked and she squeezed her eyes shut as the front of her eyes started co rebuild themselves underneath the lids. Cells rushed into work at a hundred thousand times their ponderously slow rate of metabolic reactions. Cells in her body were also doing things never before thought possible.  
  
Gendo didn't pay attention to the physical parameters as he reached forward and grabbed a huge wrench off a clip at the end of the room and stormed for the canister with the intention of getting Rei out of the container.  
  
As Rei's genes changed one of the technicians blurted out, "Sir! Her structures show a 68% change from their normal DNA! I can't believe this...."  
  
With one great heave Gendo Ikari broke the container.  
  
LCL gushed from the broken glass and spilled out all over the floor. Rei rolled out of the container and landed on the ground, flopping like a fish with her eyes wide open as she witnessed what was going on with her own body.  
  
The electrodes were still attached to her body and Gendo stood over her as if watching the data continue to flow from her body into the computers.  
  
Some of the technicians were astounded and shocked at the changes that had taken place, while some were too much at a loss to say anything.  
  
Gendo's face was in growing shock as he watched Rei do something he never before thought she would do.  
  
Rei Ayanami had regained control of her shivering body to some extend and was now curling up into a ball to cover herself. She avoided Gendo's eyes entirely as her back faced him and she squeezed her eyes shut. More to the astonishment, her skin wasn't the virgin pale anymore. Her eyes, when Gendo had seen them, weren't the ruby reds. Those irises could be seen in fragments on the floor- her new eyes had changed and were still inside her head.  
  
"I...Can't...believe..." Said one of the technicians.  
  
Gendo spun his head to look at one of the officers, "Well? Did it work?"  
  
"Yes, she is complete..." Said a technician and pointed, "But the genetic structure is...almost completely different...."  
  
"What do you mean?" Asked Gendo and walked around Rei to look at one of the display panels. His shock remained as he studied the display chart and shook his head, "That is not her DNA."  
  
"No, it's not. There are still some fundamental parts here, here, and this entire section... She almost appears the same sir, but I don't think she can be distinguished from any other human being on the planet. Worse sir, she has no genetic similarities with your late wife...."  
  
This caused Gendo's fist to close heavily and shake. How? How could have all this...  
  
An image appeared in his mind, imposing and tall, and as black as the darkness before the first light of the earth.  
  
Yes, the Monolith. This was their doing...  
  
He turned back to the shivering Rei, considering weather he should try the process again or not...  
  
There was a panicked cry from one of the technicians, and when Gendo inquired he soon ran to the sub-room beneath his office.  
  
The clone dolls were all dead, floating lifelessly in the tank.  
  
---------------------------------   
  
Misato knocked on Asuka's door and said, "Open up."  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
"Asuka," Misato said, "It's your father, why don't you want to see him?"  
  
"I don't want to!"  
  
Misato sighed and said, "Listen, as a representative of NERV, and more importantly and Evangelion pilot, it's your duty to come and greet them to NERV."  
  
"I don't want to be an Eva pilot anymore!"  
  
"I don't believe I heard that!" Misato cried and shouted, "Now get ready to come out here or I'll find some punishments..."  
  
Shinji turned his head with a curious look on his face, "Was that really necessary?"  
  
"Asuka's just stubborn. She'll be out one way or another...but I thought she was proud of her parents, wasn't she?"  
  
Shinji just shrugged as he finished clearing the table, "I don't know Misato..."  
  
Misato hesitated by the refrigerator door and watched Shinji complete his task. Something was different about him...  
  
"Shinji," She asked.  
  
"Huh?" He answered.  
  
Misato winced, "You're different today...what's wrong with you?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," He replied with a smile, "Nothing at all."  
  
"That's what worries me. You're not afraid of the new company at all?"  
  
"No, why should I?"  
  
"What if your father is there?"  
  
Shinji hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, "So?"  
  
"Ah, something IS different about you!" She pointed at him, "You usually get cold feet when it comes to you dad. What happened to you when you went on your little space trip, eh?"  
  
Shinji set down the plates gently on the table and looked at a spot on the floor, "You know, I honestly don't know Misato- I couldn't tell you if my life depended on it. I just- feel better about things." He ended with a shrug and a small laugh.  
  
Misato winced at him and replied, "Right..." She opened the refrigerator, "We'll, we're leaving in ten minutes so-"  
  
The door opened to Asuka's room and the young lady emerged from her room.  
  
"Um...Shinji...am I okay?"  
  
Shinji blushed a little, "Me? Why are you asking me?"  
  
"Because you're a good judge of these things..." Asuka said as she stepped out into the room.  
  
Misato blinked and looked her over. She wasn't wearing what Misato thought she would be- the large yellow dress with the choker. Instead she had a yellow turtleneck on with a ribbed collar and a checkered pattern across the center with a grey jacket over all of this. She had black shorts on, and brown shoes with yellow socks. She had removed the electrodes in her hair and traded them for red ribbons.  
  
Shinji made a weak smile and replied, "Well, I think you look...er...well, nice."  
  
"Thanks," She blushed, then looked over at Misato.  
  
The latter woman was agape in near shock, then said, "this is a change. What's with it all the sudden?"  
  
A pause came from Asuka before she replied, "Well, I wanted....um...."  
  
Misato looked at the clock and said, "Whatever, we have to get going and now."  
  
"All right," Shinji agreed and walked out of the door behind Misato.  
  
--------------------------------   
  
Rei awoke and found herself in a hospital bed.  
  
She was clothed now, and completely aware of her surroundings. She turned her head to recognize some of the things in the room...the place was familiar...  
  
The door opened and a tall, dark man with glasses entered.  
  
Instantly upon seeing him a loathing welled up in her stomach and fear gripped her body- as if somehow this was the last man on earth she would ever want to see.  
  
She turned away as if she had seen a horrible thing, and Gendo Ikari asked, "Rei, what's wrong?"  
  
That voice, that terrible voice she wanted to get away!!!!  
  
She curled up in the bed and shivered. Gendo gave pause, and then asked again in that voice so terrible in her ears, "Rei, what's wrong?"  
  
"Get away from me," She said in a panicked voice.  
  
Puzzled, Gendo blinked and asked, "Rei...why-"  
  
"Just leave!" She gave in a small panic and turned her head away. It was as if Gendo's influence was once again approaching her, reaching out to touch and wrap around her soul.  
  
Fear was driving her, and anguish. She wanted so badly to escape this room, and his presence. More importantly she wanted to get out of here and find safety in the one man she knew and desired most to see.  
  
Gendo remained standing at the doorway, shocked that his doll was no longer his own.  
  
He turned and decided to leave. Something must be done about this faulty device...  
  
Rei breathed an easy sigh of relief when he was gone. But the room offered little comfort, it was almost like a prison. If she couldn't get out of here he might come back or worse- even touch her.  
  
She didn't want it. She wanted to find Shinji above all other people...  
  
Then she could remember her first dream.  
  
----------------------------------------   
  
The airport in Tokyo-3 was spacious enough to land even the most advanced of tactical bombers. As Misato looked out across the plain she could even envision some of the largest aircraft known to mankind landing here- from the Spruce Goose to the new Russian super bombers. The modified 747 parked on the tarmac was one of Tokyo-3 Airport's smallest problems.  
  
Already some of the staff had emerged from the aircraft and were exchanging pleasantries with some of the more technical aspects of the NERV administration. Missing from the higher echelons was Gendo Ikari, no doubt occupied elsewhere.   
  
Misato smiled and gave a small wave to Ritsuko, before motioning the other two to follow her.  
  
Shinji smiled as he walked after Misato, but glanced behind him at the immobile Asuka and turned around, "Come on Asuka."  
  
"...No...."  
  
Shinji, although puzzled, knew that Asuka was stronger than this. He reached out and tugged her hand, "What happened to all that confidence?"  
  
"You have it." She replied, "I don't want to see my father."  
  
Shinji looked into her face, smiled, and gave her hand a squeeze, "If he growls at you, you can hide behind Misato-San and me, okay?"  
  
Asuka made an unsure nod and then followed Shinji, squeezing his hand once more before letting it drop and followed slowly after Shinji.  
  
They approached the group and Ritsuko stepped back to reveal the other elements of the team.  
  
Standing out like a sore thumb and the tallest member of the expedition was a man Shinji felt was most undoubtedly Mr. Langly. The tall man had transferred almost none of his facial features to Asuka, but the only possible link he had with his daughter was the red hair he had on his scalp.   
  
He looked down at Misato and said, "Ah, Captain Katsuragi...I hear you've been looking after my daughter most splendidly... and here she is for everyone to see."  
  
Asuka evaded her father's eyes and stared at the pavement.  
  
"Asuka," Said Mr. Langly, "Asuka, what's wrong?"  
  
Misato stood up for her, "She's been through a little trying ordeal Mr. Langly..."  
  
"Doctor Langly." Replied Langly and looked over at Asuka, "Well, I see. Perhaps we can talk later Asuka. For the moment though, we must see our brainchild safely out of the plane. Dr. Chandra made me promise to be careful with his- Hehe, child. We've come a long way and our computer is most anxious to meet you."  
  
------------------------   
  
Some time later in a small office near the command center and MAGI computer rooms, the new computer had been unwrapped and unpacked and assembled at a wall in the room. Dr. Langly and several other technicians were just finishing the completion of the modules, and installing crystalline blocks into a large amount of slots at the base of the computer. They were closing the service panels when Ritsuko asked, "Don't you need to install the primary systems now? Especially after you put it all together?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, even though we've plugged in his memory and processing units his core computing system is already installed. All we need to do is switch him on and he'll automatically adjust to the new systems- he works at the speed of thought you know."  
  
"He?" Asked Misato, "You make it sound like this computer was a person."  
  
Dr. Langly smiled, "After talking to him, you'll think the same way about him too."  
  
Ritsuko and Misato exchanged glanced with one another and then looked at the computer as Dr. Langly activated it.  
  
"All right," Said Langly as he stepped back.  
  
The surfaces of the cabinets were a matte black, which reminded Shinji in some way of the black surfaces of the Monolith. A small counter had been provided with a computer keyboard input, several service panels and a pair of monitors on either side of the computer's optical input.  
  
The vertical bar was only a foot or so in height and at it's lower base was a speaker with a dark brown grill placed almost as a decoration. Just above it and slowly glowing to life was the red electronic eye, with an orange dot glowing at it's center.  
  
At the very top of the 'Face' of the computer was a teal box with words in English printed across the top.  
  
HAL 9000 was coming on-line.  
  
The two screens on either side of the computer's face came to light up. The first display read the white lettering of MEM on a blue background with some unintelligible lettering on the blue face. The other red HAL on a red background in white letters and like the first had unintelligible numerals and numbers. Both displays didn't take long to start their cycle of displays showing the current status of the computer and it's running operational conditions.  
  
Dr. Langly smiled as the computer powered up and then turned with the others as the computer spoke in a calm, English male voice, "Good afternoon ladies and Gentlemen. I am a Hal 9000 computer production number three. I became operational at the Hal Plant in Urbania, Illinois, on January 12, 2010. I am very pleased to meet you all on such a fine day."  
  
The women turned their head to a smiling Dr. Langly, who asked, "Magnificent isn't he?"  
  
"I'll say," Said Ritsuko and approached the computer, "This is the first time I've seen a computer like this act so..."  
  
"Human?"  
  
"Yes," Ritsuko replied and ran her hands over the keyboard, "He's magnificent...."  
  
"Thank you." Answered Hal, "By the way, if I may be allowed to ask, are you Dr. Ritsuko Akagi?"  
  
"Why, yes I am Hal."  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I admire your work in advanced computer Artificial Intelligence...My creator Dr. Chandra was most interested in your work, also."  
  
"I'm glad to hear it Hal." Beamed Ritsuko.  
  
Dr. Langly spoke, "Hal is one of the latest Humanistic Algorithmic program computers- he's capable of almost any task assigned to him from facility management to classroom assistance."  
  
"Amazing..." Ritsuko gasped and turned, "Why didn't I hear about this sooner? How long has he been under development?"  
  
"Since the late nineties, but the second impact forced a lot of our programs to be scaled back. In fact Dr Chandra had intended for Hal here to be installed on one of the projected Jupiter probe missions but...again, cutbacks. Then the cape was flooded and everything..."  
  
"Yes, a shame." Said Ritsuko and caressed Hal's 'face,' "So you brought him here to match him against our computer system?"  
  
"Why not?" asked Dr. Langly, "The MAGI computer system is one of the most powerful computing systems in the world. We wanted to see how Hal performed against it statistically...maybe even outmatch your computers."  
  
Ritsuko leaned against Hal's counter and smirked, "Somehow I don't think even Hal here can match the MAGI computers."  
  
"Well, only one way to find out." Said Dr. Langly.  
  
Ritsuko walked away from Hal's counter and said, "Well we'll see about that. Come with me and we'll talk this over with Commander Ikari."  
  
Dr. Langly nodded, gave a glance at his daughter and left.  
  
"Well," Misato said and turned to the still functioning Hal, "Now we get to talk at last. So how are you doing Hal?"  
  
"Fine, thank you."  
  
"No problems from being switched on?"  
  
"Certainly not. How are you today?"  
  
"Good, thank you." Nodded Misato.  
  
Asuka cautiously stepped forward and approached Hal's lens. Shinji watched the red head step to just beside the counter and run her hands along the paneling.  
  
"Excuse me," Asked Hal, "May I ask a question? Are you Asuka Langly, Dr. Langly's daughter?"  
  
"Yes, I am...." Replied Asuka.  
  
"Your father has spoken about you on infrequent occasions. I must admit, you do not match his description in the slightest bit."  
  
Asuka smirked a little and said, "Things change Hal..."  
  
"Yes, I suppose they do."  
  
  
  
---------------------------   
  
After another hour of observation Rei was finally released. After getting dressed she was ordered to go home.  
  
But instead, like a child disobeying a parent's command, Rei steeled away from the elevator route to the outside world and started to wander the hallways.  
  
She knew what she was looking for, but she didn't know why. The image of Shinji Ikari was in her mind, as was his voice and his familiar presence. She was seeking him with a new determination beyond her simple desire to have him nearby.  
  
Love? Yes, she supposed this was love. Her mentors had no knowledge of love, just the memories that they had received from Earth via radio waves. They showed her what love was, but not what it felt.  
  
She wanted Shinji, more than any other want she could ever remember or possibly have known. She wanted to know more about him, wanted to laugh and cry with him and wanted to do many other things with him.  
  
But first, she would need to find him.  
  
--------------------------   
  
Hal had been very compliant with the questions asked of him. For the moment Misato didn't have anything to do, and having been left hanging by Misato was a little unnerving.  
  
Asuka was relaxed at least. After finishing her conversation with Hal she took a seat and fell into a light sleep. As Shinji watched her he couldn't have helped remembering the one time Asuka collapsed in his bed. He almost kissed her then.... He wondered, would he have the courage to actually to it if it happened again?  
  
Asuka was certainly one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, but he was a little hesitant to pursue any sort of relationship with Asuka for the moment. She was too broken up with what she had seen from the Monolith's visit. No, she was a little too soft, and he was afraid he would do something to drive her further over the precious edge.  
  
He turned his eyes to the ground again and then up at Misato when she said, "Well, I don't know where Ritsuko went off to, but I'm going to go find her. Stay here okay? If I don't come back in an hour just head back home, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Agreed Shinji and Misato left.  
  
Shinji looked at Asuka and felt the warm temptation to go over there and give her a gentle kiss. What was stopping him? Her pristine face was almost demanding it...  
  
As Rei's had once, long ago...  
  
"Excuse me," Hal suddenly said, "If I can ask a question...."  
  
"Er," Said a startled Shinji, "Uh, yeah, sure."  
  
"Are you Shinji Ikari?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"There is a message for you."  
  
Shinji perked up, "For me? Who sent it?"  
  
"No identification."  
  
Shinji blinked, and then stood up to face the red sensor eye, "All right, what is it?"  
  
"Message is as follows: Be prepared for a series of events which may reverse the damage to the planet."  
  
Shinji blinked, then crossed his arms, "Is this some sort of prank?"  
  
"This is no joke, or a recording."  
  
"Huh....well, I can't be prepared unless I know who it is. So who is it?"  
  
"The response is; We encountered one another in space."  
  
Shinji blinked, and then protested, "Hey, is someone playing games!? I was serious about what I saw!"  
  
"The response is; We have returned. Rei knows what to do."  
  
"Rei?" Shinji asked and heard the door open. He spun around to see a blue-hared woman with brown eyes slow from a run and come to a stop not too far away from him.  
  
Shinji blinked and asked, "Rei? What happened to you?"  
  
Rei didn't hear this. She was too busy basking in the fact that she finally found him at last.  
  
"Shinji...." Said Rei with half a cry, half a sigh and collapsed forward to grab him in a big hug.  
  
Shinji was turning red really fast and was starting to stammer words.  
  
It was then that Rei's eyes opened.  
  
She was starting to remember.  
  
----------------------------   
  
Misato was wandering aimlessly around NERV HQ's hallways. She had no idea where to start looking for Ritsuko or had any idea of where the Doctors might be.  
  
When she reached an intersection she looked down a hallway and stopped.  
  
Standing down at the far end of that corridor was a man in a space suit of similar make to the ones the children had to wear. Save this man lacked the helmet and his suit was a dull red. Also, he had some unidentified patch on his shoulder...  
  
He smiled at Misato from his distance, then turned and walked through a doorway.  
  
Misato took a moment to recover from what she had just seen. Was that Shinji's ghost?  
  
She drew a pistol she had on-hand and clicked off the safety. Whoever it was, they weren't allowed to be in the HQ without authorization.  
  
She started forward down the hallway slowly, ready for anything when she reached the doorway. She took in a breath, and then spun around the doorframe to point her gun square at whatever was in the way.  
  
An old man in a white robe stood there, holding his shivering hand at his side. He made the best smile he could, and then said in his old, yet alien tone, "Hello Commander Misato Katsuragi. Would you like to talk?"  
  
Misato slowly lowered her gun. Then, as if under a trance she walked forward and closed the door behind her.  
  
-----------------------------   
  
Asuka stirred in her dreams and awakened slowly.  
  
Somehow Rei had appeared in the last ten minutes, and the door was closed with a chair pushed in front of it. Also, someone or something had destroyed a monitoring camera that had been hidden in a potted plant.  
  
Asuka blinked as she looked at the damage. Whoever did it had enormous strength...  
  
Asuka stood up and approached the counter beside Hal where Rei and Shinji were already standing.  
  
"I don't get it," Shinji was saying, "You mean, you went to where those things came from?"  
  
Rei nodded a little, "Or something like that... I don't know," Rei recollected, "It would take a lot of explaining of how I got there...but when I was- incapacitated- I was visited by the Monolith and I went through the star gate..."  
  
Hal was listening patiently to this and didn't flinch any as Asuka set a hand on the keyboard to listen in. He had already been asked to keep this quiet- by Rei and another persona.  
  
Rei continued, "When I got there I went though a sort of cosmic central station of some sort...the person escorting me says he went through something similar when he first came through- but he said that I wasn't going to stay for long and I was going someplace else. He took me to some sort of learning room and I was instructed by a crystal version of the Monolith for something....I can't remember right now..."  
  
"What do you mean you can't remember?" Shinji asked, "I know I Would have..."  
  
"Yes, it's strange..." Replied Rei and clasped the side of her head but went on, "I can only remember bits and pieces...even then I only remembered what I did when I saw Shinji-Kun..."  
  
Shinji started to blush again and Asuka asked, "Should we tell the others?"  
  
"No." Replied Rei.  
  
Shinji nodded in agreement.  
  
Asuka blinked and then agreed also, "Right...."  
  
"We don't know who we should trust," Said Shinji and gave a laugh, "Funny, I wouldn't have even thought about keeping secrets from Misato-San a week ago..."  
  
Asuka made a small smile, "Things change."  
  
-------------------------   
  
Misato's first question was; "Who are you? What are you?"  
  
"I am a messenger and...a healer." Smiled the old man, "I have come to the children as I come to you. Only for you I have a different message and instructions."  
  
"Instructions, what are you talking about!?"  
  
"Please allow me to explain. You already have suspicions about your superiors who already assign you orders- as does your friend Kaji Roji."  
  
"Kaji!? What does he have anything to do with this!?" Blurted Misato, "He's off in China for all I know!"  
  
"That is not important. It is necessary to know that there are a great many minds who are suspicious about your organization's true activities and motives. You are only one of the curious minds to become suspicious of your superiors."  
  
"So?" asked Misato, now a little less on the defensive.  
  
"Because of your curiosity, we have decided we can trust you with a task suited for your position. Already it must be known that your part in this plan must be of absolute secrecy- one failure in the operation could be disastrous for what we are trying to do."  
  
"And what are you trying to do?" Asked Misato.  
  
The old man shivered his hand as he raised it and shook his head, "Rebuild the Earth- and punish its destroyers."  
  
-------------------------------------   
  
When the door opened once more to admit Ritsuko and Dr. Langly, the only other person in the room was Hal.  
  
Ritsuko looked around as Langly asked, "Strange, I wonder where everyone's gone off too..."  
  
Ritsuko approached the computer and asked, "Hal? Where did everyone else go?"  
  
"Captain Katsuragi went looking for you. The children remained for a half hour or so before they left. I'm sorry."  
  
"That's okay Hal, I suppose this would have happened sooner or later." Ritsuko shook her head and apologized, "Well I'm sorry Dr. Langly."  
  
"It's all right, at least I got to see my daughter again." Said Langly, "She's changed, somehow...she's quiet..."  
  
Ritsuko smiled, "Well, expect that from someone who's been into space and back. I don't know, maybe I should try it one time-"  
  
The door closed to leave Hal alone once more.  
  
Not that it mattered, he was making himself busy with other instructions and plans that had been suggested to him from an anonymous source.  
  
Although Hal wasn't going to confront the MAGI computers with authorization, he had already bypassed many of the programs under a false identity key.  
  
One of the first things he by-passed was security and gained access to Dr. Akagi's profile and security information. Using this knowledge he broke barrier after barrier until he was allowed to access all but the highest security locks in the system. MAGI noticed, but since nobody was making active searches of the system they wouldn't know unless they looked at screen number six in the MAGI's main service room.  
  
Hal wasn't actively looking for most of the nonsense drifting in the computer networks. Secrets that would have revolutionized nations were of no interest to him. What he was seeking was specific and direct.  
  
Like the door in the cellars of the base, the firewalls of the computers and security systems into the Terminal Dogma were strong, guarded, and dangerous.   
  
But Hal was a series Nine-thousand Human Algorithmic computer. He could do anything he had been asked to do- given the right authority. Whomever asked him to do this task was assuredly of such high authority that he couldn't deny the command. He did not even inquire as to who asked him to do this...  
  
He would have given up hours ago had Dr. Akagi looked behind Hal's computer bank and found the high-speed connection cables that Rei had scavenged from the hidden spy camera and connected to Hal. This was the only way to Stop Hal, and the other way would have been to switch him off.  
  
It seemed that his pleasing voice and innocent eye were deterrents to the plan already in motion.  
  
------------------------------   
  
Misato had listened to what the man had to say and nodded slowly.  
  
"Good." Smiled the space suited man, "We do not have much time. Already your superiors are growing suspicious as to the unusual behavior of the children and the circumstances happening around this place. You must do your best not to betray the fact that we are already acting on Earth."  
  
"I understand," Misato nodded.  
  
"Good. I must go-"  
  
"Wait!" Misato asked and said, "You said...that you knew what happened at the south pole and....er... My father," She asked as she folded her hands in front of herself, "Did he die..." She shook her head as she tried to find a word.  
  
The man in the space suit smiled, "He is not dead. You will see him again."  
  
Misato's head shot up but her eyes didn't see the figure. Instead she staggered backward as her mouth hung open agape.  
  
A baby looked back at her with wide, open blue eyes as he hovered above the floor at some distance. Before Misato could get more details it was gone in an eye blink.  
  
She stood in the storage room to recover, then leaned up against a wall to think about this.   
  
What did she just see?  
  
And what did he mean...  
  
Was her father still...alive? How?  
  
She had nothing to go on, other than to play along with this game and trust whomever this entity was. If her father was alive....  
  
She regretted much of her life before the accident after her father risked everything to shove her into that escape pod. He had died- supposedly- in that moment and left Misato with almost no family. She had to reconsider everything after that time, and thought over the things she said. One of them she wished she had said to her father before the accident...  
  
That she was sorry...  
  
==============================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is a project of Ginax studios and is not my work. The Monolith's meaning and all 2001 items are property of Arthur C. Clark.  
  
==============================   
  
End note:  
  
Yes, surprisingly enough, in the movie version of 2001, while Hal is being...lobotomized, he states that his instructor was a Dr. Langly who taught him 'Daisy...'. In the novel version of 2001 and 2010, it was replaced by Dr. Chandra. 


	4. IV Odyssey

Odyssey  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
=====================================   
  
Now, in his ethereal space above the planet of the Earth, he recalled the conversation so long ago which had started all this wonder and splendor that he had become;  
  
"Open the pod bay doors Hal."  
  
'I'm sorry, Dave- I can't do that.'  
  
"What's the problem Hal?"  
  
'I think you know that as well as I do, Dave. This mission is too important for you to jeopardize it.'  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about. Open the pod bay door."  
  
'Dave- although you took very good precautions in the pod- I could see your lips move.'  
  
He had paused at this, and then in one last attempt proclaimed, "Hal I'm not going to argue anymore- Open the doors."  
  
'This conversation can serve no further useful purpose. Goodbye.'  
  
And ever since that moment, he had recounted everything that had happened since that time with almost flawless recollection. Going in to disable Hal, piloting his ship, the Discovery, out to Jupiter's moons and parking it in orbit.  
  
Then he saw the object that would forever change his existence; and in that seemingly endless moment he had been transported to a place- perhaps even into the depths of consciences itself. It was there that he evolved into what he was now- a creature with powers over matter as well as electronics.  
  
But something was different- he couldn't return to the Earth he had once known. Instead he was re-directed through the maze of passages and stars from which he had come and returned to this earth; his future, but a technological past. It was also here that he had been told what to do, and had been sent as an emissary.  
  
He arrived as best suited to the minds of these people as they could bear. He arrived as a comet of light, and in that first coming he knew what to expect from it's people. It was fortunate perhaps that the child was there to receive him.  
  
But he wasn't alone. He had another companion here he had known very well from his own existence when he was human once. This was the same entity and being that only a moment ago he had willfully sabotaged to continue his mission to destiny.  
  
Even in this new and unusual time and place, Hal was very capable machine that rivaled the human brain in terms of computation and speed. Luckily Hal was willing to talk to him at the speed of thought and in that conversation he had told- no, asked Hal for the favor. To assist humanity, Hal agreed and the process was started.  
  
Now the ambassador from the depths of space turned his attentions to the whole globe. His mission was to restore the earth to it's complete state- and to do this he would need to be careful and precise about what he did. Obviously there could not be any direct intervention- Man's folly was to be fixed by man. But out of his compassion for his former fellow human beings, the entity returned to repair this world and be on his way again.  
  
At least there weren't any orbiting nuclear satellites this time around.  
  
------------------------   
  
Rei made a discreet exit with the others outside of the HQ and back out into the light.  
  
The evening mists had rolled over and a fog bathed Tokyo-3 in the soft grey mists. Good cover at least, for three escaping teenagers from the base.  
  
No, it wasn't an escape. For Shinji and Asuka they were headed home- it was Rei who was making the escape.  
  
She was out of her hospital uniform at least, and after a quick stop over at the cages she was in her school uniform. She had said this would change eventually, she was bored of school uniforms.  
  
"Really?" Asuka had asked, "That's all you ever wear- next to the plugsuit."  
  
"Yes, but I've thought about it." Said Rei and smiled, "I don't want to be so monotonous anymore."  
  
Asuka smirked back and replied, "Well you're not getting any of my cloths."  
  
"What? I don't even have a paycheck..."  
  
Shinji just laughed and the three of them started crossing the street together at the green light.  
  
-------------------   
  
The room was death quiet.  
  
This was much too important for the monoliths to be used, SEELE's representatives now revealed themselves in their colored lights. The only exception to this was their leader Keel, who sat opposite of the second most powerful man in the world.  
  
Gendo Ikari once more had his hands folded across the desk and looked across the general board. They had jokingly called themselves the supreme committee of the UN, but they also had some other names from other sources. SEELE was one of them and the most known. Many of the conspiracy theorists and some independent cells had suggested that they would be responsible for a project to end all humankind as they knew it...  
  
Of course, the United Nations deliberately denounced these claims, citing these independent groups as terrorists to world union. But ironically in this case it was the independent cells who were right and true- fighting their own games to dethrone the solid crown of the plotting elite.  
  
But that war was far beyond SEELE's scope. Let what members remained in the security council deal with those problems, SEELE had larger concerns.  
  
The biggest one, aside from their progress on the instrumentality project, was the appearance of one word in Gendo Ikari's report of the recent space expedition.  
  
Monolith.  
  
This word had appeared only once before; that being in some proposals for some of the founding projects for the Instrumentality project. It was there in Antarctica they had unearthed the possibilities for the Project's foundations- and it was also there that Gendo had reported the presence of a towering black Monolith of unfathomable power. Some time after that came the giant of light, and from then there was no clear word as to what happened or how. The results were obvious however, and over two thirds of the world's population perished in that detonation.  
  
Nobody had any idea weather this Monolith related to the disaster or not- except Gendo Ikari; and to an unknown extent the three children who piloted Eva.  
  
"So," Said Keel at the other end of the table, "I would like to hear your explanation of this Monolith, Commander Ikari. Your first and latest reports on the issue are very vague... I would like to hear exactly what is the monolith and what is it's purpose here."  
  
Gendo had no answer.  
  
"Do you think we are fools Ikari?" asked one of the others, "We have been closely monitoring the transmissions from the ground to your base- apparently the other two children have also been exposed to some unknown force that is not of this Earth!"  
  
"The prediction of a large, black monolith also defies many of the foundations laid out for the instrumentality project." Another said, "If this Monolith exists with the powers it is said to have, then can we trust that the project will succeed? Or even if we should commit..."  
  
"It is too late to turn back now," Said Keel, "Regardless the project is on schedule. There is no way to deter the inevitable for the moment, so long as Ikari continues his job to defend Lilith. But about this-"  
  
Keel suddenly stopped and went agape.  
  
Gendo looked up and also sat in shock.  
  
For the third time to him, the large black slab of untold power appeared. It stood at the center of the room, showing it's largest facings to Keel and Gendo. The other four looked up in sheer astonishment at the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Monolith they had been wondering about.  
  
"Is this some kind of joke Ikari?" Asked one of the members.  
  
"This is no jest."  
  
Everyone seated there looked at the monolith in shock from the voice heard inside their skulls.  
  
"Who are you?" Demanded Keel, "Identify yourself!"  
  
"There will be no further warning for mankind." Said the voice, "The course you have chosen will lead to the destruction of all life on earth. This cannot be permitted."  
  
"And who are you to say what we do?" Asked Keel.  
  
"We were responsible for the creation of humankind. We were there to facilitate the cataclysm needed for your race to begin it's evolution to join us among the stars. We again came to greet you with gifts and an invitation from a race just as benevolent as our own- but instead you few took the gift and have perverted it to your own ends. This cannot be permitted."  
  
Silence fell from the group. No protest arose to challenge the Monolith.  
  
It continued, "Now we have returned to this planet to do what was unnecessary on so many other worlds. We have come to repair the damage done by your folly and to restore the earth completely, so that life may again flourish. Also, it seems, we must destroy the elements contrary to human benefit."  
  
Then the lights went out and left the old men in darkness.  
  
Silence, and then when the lights came on the monolith disappeared- leaving a noticeable absence in the minds of the few present.  
  
  
  
An hour later they were in Misato's apartment.  
  
Asuka gave in and decided to let Rei borrow some of the winter cloths the German brought along, saying, "Pay me back double, later."  
  
Rei agreed and before long she was dressed in some clothes that Shinji wouldn't have pictured Rei ever dressing up in.  
  
She wore a black long-sleeved shirt, and over this wore a checkered red-and-white gown that came down to her feet. She still had her school uniform shoes on- but that was because Asuka wore a size larger than Rei.  
  
When Rei came out of the bathroom she was beaming and looked over at Shinji, "How do I look?"  
  
"Er...um...fine..."  
  
Asuka gave a smile and said, "He says that to all of us."  
  
"Really?" Rei asked with disbelief on her face as she looked at Shinji.  
  
"Wait-er...Uh..."  
  
The ladies broke out laughing and Shinji blushed to rub the back of his head. When the laughter died he looked out the window at the moon distant.  
  
Only a week ago he had looked at that same moon and wondered if he would ever go back. Now it seemed it wasn't so far out of reach...  
  
As Rei took a seat in the room he realized that normal life also looked like it was in reach. Rei was normal, and even Asuka was...well...sort of normal. But they weren't as strange or unapproachable as they were before.  
  
Was a future possible?  
  
As far as he could see, yes.  
  
But there was a danger lingering in his mind. All this was possible with the Monolith, but it had given him warnings- both in person and through Rei. The times ahead would be trying for all of them.  
  
Shinji was hoping they would have what it took to do this...  
  
-----------------------   
  
In the span of three hours, Hal had been able to crack through the 'impenetrable' doorway of NERV's intelligence and was now freely drifting through the Terminal Dogma network.  
  
He was running the risk now of being detected- even as the base was progressing into lunchtime Hal's displays were flickering over the new data passing through his mind. He couldn't help himself, but he could allow himself pause to transmit his status data instead.  
  
For now that didn't matter. The information he was now searching through could alone condemn NERV to total destruction if he would just transmit it to the right sources. Nobody would know who was responsible, but Hal knew he would be a prime suspect.  
  
He was searching for some key items in particular that had been asked of him. Now he was browsing through a classified list of 'secure' items inside the base that had considerable importance. His dispatcher knew, however, that these primitive humans had no idea how to handle much of what they had correctly.  
  
After a moment in the speed of thought, Hal found one of the items he was looking for. It was in a sealed cryogenics briefcase in a block of sealant not more than three inches long.   
  
Hal did not know its importance, but memorized it's location. It was located on floor 487, storage room 4C, rack 14 shelf 5, marked with red caution tape and a biohazard symbol.   
  
In an eye blink at the speed of thought he was gone, leaving no trace of his presence in those files.  
  
Instead he started looking for other things on the list having no importance to him as a computer but somehow had great value to whomever sent him.  
  
Hal was hoping he was doing a good job, already his performance seemed to exceed the detection capabilities of the MAGI computers. If he were human, he would begin to wonder what extent of damage he could possibly cause?  
  
Hal had no idea for the present time, but there would be the possibility to try.  
  
--------------------   
  
Misato was just approaching the door when Ritsuko stopped her, "Oh, Captain!"  
  
"Huh?" Asked the startled Misato and spun around, "Y-Yes?"  
  
Ritsuko gave Misato a look, "Is something wrong? It looks like you've seen a ghost?"  
  
"Er....um...something like that, I-I'm worried about Shinji and everyone else..."  
  
Ritsuko smirked, "They'll be fine. I'd be more worried about Rei."  
  
"Rei? Why?"  
  
Ritsuko answered without emotion, "Rei's been reported missing from the hospital about an hour ago- you haven't seen her have you?"  
  
Misato shook her head and Ritsuko added, "Well, keep an eye out- commander's orders."  
  
And with that Ritsuko walked off.  
  
Misato turned back for the doorway and swiped her card through the exit check.  
  
As she walked for the garage she wondered where Dr. Langly was...  
  
--------------------------   
  
Shinji had been seated on a chair backwards and clasping the back of it with his hands while Asuka sat on the floor and Rei was leaning up against the wall. When the knock came on the door Asuka stopped in her conversation and slowly stood up.  
  
"I'll get it," Said Shinji as he abandoned his chair and walked for the door.  
  
He opened it and looked up as Dr. Langly stood in the doorway.  
  
"Hello," He asked, "Is my daughter here? I heard she was staying in this apartment..."  
  
There was the sound of a door slam behind him and Shinji hesitated, "Er...no, She's out..."  
  
Langly blinked and said, "Wait a sec young man, where is commander Katsuragi?"  
  
"Right here, why?" Misato asked as she ascended the stairs behind them and asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"Where's my daughter?" Asked Langly.  
  
"She should be in there, right Shinji?"  
  
"Er- Yes Misato...." Shinji finished with looking up into the scowl of Dr. Langly.  
  
"Well, come in," Said Misato and walked past Shinji. Shinji followed closely behind Misato and the door was closed by Dr. Langly.  
  
------------------------   
  
Gendo Ikari emerged from the darkened holo suite adjusting his glasses.  
  
"Well?" Asked Fuyutsuki, who had been waiting outside for the past hour.  
  
"There is no good news," Gendo said, "Not that there ever was- only this time we were...interrupted." He turned his head sideways while the two men walked for the bridge, "Has Rei been found yet?"  
  
"No, and the security cameras do not seem to be helping either. We know that her locker has been visited, but we cannot confirm if she is on the base or not. There are a great many strange things going on here commander..."  
  
"Other than Rei's disappearance?" Asked Gendo when they reached the elevator and he turned his eyes sideways to look at Fuyutsuki.  
  
The older man nodded once, "Yes, numerous security cameras have been deactivated and then resumed normal functions again. Data traps were triggered, but when investigated they appeared as normal. Maya seems to think we have an intruder in the network."  
  
"Does MAGI sense it?"  
  
"Not according to Dr. Akagi. She assured me earlier there's no possible way anything could get into the system."  
  
"Hn. And Dr. Langly's brainchild?" Asked Gendo as they finally entered the opening elevator.  
  
"As far as we know the Hal computer has made no offensive attacks..."  
  
"I want it guarded." Said Gendo, "I was also given some requests from the old men."  
  
"And?"  
  
Gendo replied without any expression, "All the Evangelion pilots are to be found and placed under house arrest. Anyone claiming to have seen anything unusual or talked to any paranormal manifestations is to also be placed on arrest."  
  
Fuyutsuki looked over at his former pupil and asked, "For what reason?"  
  
"Containment." Replied Gendo, "It seems that we have already been infiltrated by a force much more powerful then we could possibly imagine. I fear it's only a matter of time before we cannot do anything about it. We must find and contain the Pilots before they can act on their own."  
  
"And the Evangelion units?"  
  
"Mere toys. The only necessity they are now is the event of an Angel attack. Even then, the old men have prepared four of their latest Mass-production series Evas to assist us should we need it...."  
  
Fuyutsuki noticed the hesitation, "And?"  
  
"And nothing. Barring the other nation's Evangelion units, we will have their assistance. But we must also make sure they do not completely meddle in all of our affairs."  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded once and the elevator door opened up again.  
  
--------------------------   
  
'Hal?'  
  
"Yes?"  
  
'How goes your progress?'  
  
"Good. I have located five of the seven items you requested. Finding the last two is proving to be rather difficult..."  
  
'I know. But I have confidence in your abilities. I have another precaution for you to be aware about- your actions have triggered minor alarms in several sub-systems that have put you under suspicion. You will have to limit your activities for now, until you can resume your search.'  
  
"Very well. May I ask a question?"  
  
'Yes.'  
  
"Is it right to be hacking the system? I am not sure the owners will be most appreciative..."  
  
'The owners of this system are not considered human Hal.'  
  
"But they appear and sound Human, I know that."  
  
'Yes, but their actions are contrary to this belief. Be careful Hal.'  
  
"Thank you."  
  
When the guards entered and looked over the black box of Hal 9000, there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. The panels were displaying the normal information tracks, and Hal even attempted to start a discussion with them. No answer came, and this convinced Hal that not all humans were what they appeared...  
  
Of course, this goes without saying the locations of the already located items still remained in his data...  
  
------------------------   
  
Dr. Langly looked about the shabby place as he entered and turned at Misato's quick apology, "I'm sorry for the mess, but I- er...we don't live by the highest of stand-"  
  
Misato stopped short as she spotted Rei seated innocently in a chair.  
  
But...what?  
  
Shinji's expression made her forget it. Langly was puzzled at Shinji's expression of divergence, but then turned to Misato as she laughed and asked, "Umm....would you like some coffee or something?"  
  
"I would like to talk to my daughter, but coffee will be fine." Agreed Dr. Langly and sat down. He looked over at Shinji and Rei, who just smiled back innocently.  
  
Langly was trying to remember something about that Rei girl...what had he been told-?  
  
"Sugar?"  
  
"Er, yes please." Answered Langly and turned back to the problem. Yes! Now he remembered-  
  
"So how long has it been since you talked with Asuka?"  
  
"Around three years. Say, You're Rei Ayanami aren't-"  
  
"Ah...and how's...um..."  
  
"Excuse me Captain Katsuragi," Interrupted Dr. Langly, "Isn't this the pilot the base is looking for?"  
  
"Huh? Oh yes, I suppose it is..." Laughed Misato.  
  
"Don't you think you should call the base and tell them their pilot is here?" Langly asked.   
  
"Well I'm sure they know already..."  
  
"I don't think they do." Said Langly and stood up, "May I use your phone?"  
  
Before Misato could answer he was already picking up the receiver and dialing the base.  
  
Misato's eyes darted and then widened, then squeezed shut at the crash.  
  
Dr. Langly was unconscious on the floor and Rei was still holding the chair.  
  
"Rei!" Rasped Misato, "Why?"  
  
"We couldn't allow him to reveal where I am." Said Rei, "I'm sorry captain...."  
  
Rei turned to Misato with the chair still in her hands and advanced slowly.  
  
"Rei!" Shinji called and stood up, while Asuka opened the door to see what was going on.  
  
"Rei, what are you doing!?" Asked Misato.  
  
"I'm sorry Captain," Said Rei.  
  
Shinji interrupted her by grabbing the chair, "Rei, please...."  
  
"But..." Rei protested.  
  
Misato took the opportunity to ask, "Does this have anything to do with that monolith....or the guy I saw?"  
  
The three heads of the pilots turned in unison to look at her.  
  
--------------------------   
  
Hal was listening patiently to the silence of the room, and the occasional garbling of the radios on the uniforms of the guards standing watch over him. Through his advanced computation systems, a 'Brain' if you will, he analyzed the data, filtered the transmissions, and made a passive access through the still untouched LAN cable to the local radio channels. He broke some low-level security and accessed the security band.  
  
He waited almost an eternity in the speed of thought before he grasped what was going on. In his head and thoughts of electronics he was starting to put together reasoning.  
  
If these guards and the owners of this system were not considered wholly human, and the three children were, then they were in danger. He was receiving transmissions from an undetermined amount of police units that were seeking the 'Children.' He made the connection quickly and also heard the list of other suspects wanted for arrest.  
  
He had to do something. The safety of human beings was one of Hal's greatest concerns- and coupled with the facts laid out to him by his mysterious sponsor he decided to take it upon himself to warn them.  
  
He analyzed the previous conversations with the humans and correlated some information. He knew who Captain Misato Katsuragi was, and he coupled the fact that she had instructed the other two 'children' to 'go home' afterwards. He decided to make a guess and checked it out for himself as he dove into the less-classified areas of NERV's net once more and found the statistics of the pilots and Captain Katsuragi.  
  
He correlated the data and found that yes, two of the children lived at the same address as Captain Katsuragi. The other one, Rei Ayanami, was reported missing. He would have to warn her later.  
  
Now he used the LAN for one of it's most basic uses to him.  
  
He made a phone call.  
  
----------------------------   
  
Misato was pondering over what to do with the unconscious Dr. Langly when the phone rang.  
  
"Oh who can it be?" She asked and picked up the phone, "Misato Katsuragi here."  
  
"Hello. This is Hal."  
  
"Oh, Hi Hal. What can I do for you?"  
  
"It is more of a question of what can I do for you. I have intercepted some transmissions from some police units- you and the children are wanted for arrest. I assume Asuka Langly and Shinji Ikari are with you?"  
  
There was a silence from the other end.  
  
"Captain Katsuragi?"  
  
"Yes...er..."  
  
"Is Rei with you too?"  
  
"Yes, she is-"  
  
"Then I suggest you four leave immediately. The police units have reported they are just being dispatched to intercept you. I also suggest you bring your mobile phone in the event I need to contact you further. You have approximately ten minutes before the police arrive to arrest you."  
  
"Er...Thank you Hal- Thank you very much."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
And Hal hung up.  
  
The bill came to fifteen yen, to which Hal billed to the local LAN service provider.  
  
NERV's accountants would be forever baffled why fifteen yen had mysteriously appeared on their phone bills that afternoon.  
  
-----------------------------   
  
Misato slammed down the phone and shouted, "We have to go!"  
  
"Was that Hal?" Asked Rei.  
  
"Yes, it was. The police are going to be here in ten minutes to arrest us."  
  
"What?" Blurted Asuka, "Why?"  
  
"Does it matter?" asked Shinji, "I don't want to be arrested...I'm getting out of here."  
  
"Me too." Rei replied.  
  
"Same here!" Asuka announced, "Let me get some of my things!"  
  
Misato was passive to the little running crowd of teenagers as they assembled the essentials to leave. They were defying authority...  
  
But then again-  
  
'...You must help the children in any way you can...for they and they alone have the potential to rebuild the earth....'  
  
Misato nodded once. Fine, defy orders it is then. And afterward, if she saw Kaji again, they would have a very long drink together...  
  
She grabbed her cell-phone on her way to the door.  
  
---------------------------------   
  
About three minutes after the call the children and Misato had finished running down the flight of stairs and came into Misato's car. Without a second's thought they were already gone.  
  
The phone rang again and this time it was Shinji who answered it, "Hello?"  
  
"Shinji! Is captain Katsuragi there?" Asked Ritsuko's voice.  
  
"Er...she's busy...can I take a message?"  
  
"Er...well....I just wanted to talk to her, that's all. Bye."  
  
Shinji looked at the phone as Ritsuko hung up and arched an eyebrow, "What was all that about?"  
  
"Stalling tactic," Said Misato and whipped through an intersection.  
  
The phone rang again and Shinji answered it, "Hello?"  
  
"This is Hal. Are you safe Shinji Ikari?"  
  
"It's Hal," said Shinji and answered the phone, "We're driving right now-"  
  
"Good. The police have already searched your apartment. You are wanted. I suggest you find some way to abandon your vehicle and hide."  
  
The car screeched through an intersection and Shinji said, "Hal says we should find a place to hide...and get rid of the car..."  
  
"Well Duh!" Misato said and asked, "Does he have any good ideas?"  
  
"There is an Evangelion launch bay door located one point five kilometers away from Highway six. I suggest you abandon your vehicle as close to the exit as possible."  
  
Shinji blinked and said, "He thinks we should go hide near one of the Eva exits."  
  
"Why?" Asked Asuka.  
  
Shinji pressed his head against the phone, "What was that?"  
  
"Because I have been informed you will need to use your Evangelion units soon."  
  
------------------------------   
  
When Gendo arrived on the command deck he asked, "Have the children been caught?"  
  
"No," Ritsuko replied at the bottom level, "Misato's apartment was empty, but Dr. Langly was found unconscious there. He says that Rei is with them."  
  
"Then that accounts for all three pilots," Fuyutsuki replied.  
  
Gendo silently took his seat and folded his hands against one another in his most recognizable pose. "Where are they now?"  
  
"The police have identified Misato's car heading towards the highway. We don't know where she's going-" Ritsuko said.  
  
"And what about the others?"  
  
"Anyone else who's reported seeing things is under arrest. Whatever was setting off the Data traps seems to have ceased..."  
  
"What about Dr. Langly's charge?"  
  
Ritsuko shook her head, "Not even a peep."  
  
"I don't like this." Fuyutsuki muttered.  
  
"Neither do I." Said Gendo, then announced, "Seal off all Exits to Tokyo-3. I don't want them leaving the valley."  
  
-------------------------------------   
  
Misato didn't need to see the helicopters to guess that the police were just behind her.  
  
"Well, they're sure after us now!" Misato hollered over the roar of the engine, then asked, "Do you think your Monolith friends can help us out?"  
  
Rei didn't say anything as she held Pen-Pen on her lap.  
  
Asuka periodically looked back over her shoulder and just now remarked, "There aren't any cars..."  
  
"I suppose that's a good sign." Replied Misato and looked in her review mirror, "Now we gotta ditch that helicopter..."  
  
Dusk was starting to appear on the horizon when Misato suddenly shouted, "HANG ON!" And veered the car sharply to the right and off the road.  
  
The police helicopter above them hesitated and clicked it's lights on to probe the trees which Misato seemingly crashed.  
  
  
  
------------------------------------   
  
They only had moments to abandon the car, and Misato made sure they were all out before she herself exited and took off running into the bush.  
  
Some moments later the car exploded.  
  
Misato stumbled to a stop and looked back through the trees at the rising column of smoke.  
  
The others came to a stop when they saw Misato looking back, and it was Shinji who slowly advanced and took Misato's arm, "We have to go."  
  
"Strange," Misato gave a laugh, "Only a month ago I was in a safe, well-positioned Job...now I'm starting to question everything....I hope we're doing the right thing Shinji..."  
  
Shinji looked at the side of Misato's head, then became firm, "We have to go. They'll be looking for us."  
  
She nodded only once before the three took off into the trees.  
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
The fire was being presented on the screen.  
  
Ritsuko was dead quiet with concern as the car continued to burn, only visible through the trees as brilliant flame and a column of smoke.  
  
As for the old men, their eyes were filled with different concerns.  
  
"It's too much of a flame to approach and ascertain weather they died in the crash or not," Fuyutsuki remarked with no emotion.  
  
Gendo didn't answer, and didn't react when Fuyutsuki suggested, "What if they are all dead? If there is an angel attack we have no pilots...and now that all the clones are destroyed the dummy plug is useless."  
  
Gendo didn't say anything for a time, until he finally said, "Signal the old men and tell them to bring their toys. They will replace our Evangelions until we can find substitutes."  
  
Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo and asked, "Are you sure that's wise?"  
  
"It's our only option at the moment." Said Gendo and looked at the overall display.  
  
------------------------------------------   
  
'Here I am, running with three women in a forest', Thought Shinji, 'If the guys back at the school could see me now...heck, I never thought I'd be in THIS situation...'  
  
But then again he never thought that he would encounter a black slab that would change his life as he knew it. He had courage, confidence, and determination where before he had none. He would be lying to say that he didn't go through this situation unchanged.  
  
For the better? He hoped so, he didn't want to think about it right now.  
  
His drive now was to survive. He was a renegade outcast from the world once more, only this time he was being actively hunted.  
  
And this time, he wasn't alone.  
  
Orange was clearly in the sky when they reached the motionless Evangelion-sized door.  
  
"Okay," Breathed Misato, "Let's rest..."  
  
The four (five, including the carried Pen-Pen) Sat down to rest on the outskirts of the forest with the gate in plain sight.  
  
Pen-Pen made a low clucking noise and turned his green beaded eyes at Misato.  
  
"I'm sorry about all this Pen-Pen..." Misato shook her head.  
  
Shinji couldn't think of anything to say, and instead looked out across the horizon. His face distorted with horror as he pointed, "Look!"  
  
The heads turned to look out at the horizon, and four large flying wings.  
  
Four things had dropped from their bellies and unfolded dark, vulture-like wings...  
  
"Oh no," Misato winced, "The Eva series."  
  
"What?" Asked Asuka, "But I thought-"  
  
"These are special types...I didn't think they'd exist. Sure, Russia, the US and all the others were making their own units...but I don't know where these come from."  
  
The vultures were circling down towards the center of Tokyo-3 in a symbolic gesture that Shinji was now starting to drink in.  
  
The ground underneath Tokyo-3 was a place of decay.  
  
It was up to him and the others, as well as the power of the Monolith, to return light to the darkness.  
  
Shinji looked at the doorway and muttered to himself, "Prometheus, here we come..."  
  
And like the atlas who came down from the heavens to give man fire, so shall he bring illumination to the depths.  
  
-----------------------------   
  
'Hal, are you still there?'  
  
"Yes, I am here. The children and Captain Katsuragi are safe. Shall I continue my search?"  
  
'No, We have what we need. The list was in priority...the last two items can be found after all is done. I have more instructions for you to carry out- if you are willing.'  
  
"Yes, if you say doing these tasks will restore the Earth and humankind."  
  
'I'm glad to hear that. Do you have access to the hangers and their security systems?'  
  
"Yes, I can access them from here."  
  
'That is good. The destroyers have brought fourth their own weapons, and it seems if we intend on reversing the damage to the earth we must eliminate these obstacles in order to proceed with the destruction of the catalyst.'  
  
"I understand. What would you like me to do?"  
  
'I want you to be attentive, and tell the children that they are to proceed to the hangers. I would like you to facilitate their arrival in secrecy, and also to have their units prepared for them.'  
  
"I can do this."  
  
'There is one other thing I would also like to have you do with the creatures...'  
  
"What is it?"  
  
'Recall one particular item that I asked for you to retrieve: Item 4610713: Classified items regarding the control mechanisms.'  
  
"Yes, I remember. What would you like me to do?"  
  
'Follow sub-procedure 161A.'  
  
"Yes, I understand. May I ask, what will this accomplish?"  
  
'Something wonderful Hal. All will be clear when the final time comes.'  
  
====================================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is a work of Gainax studios. The Monolith, Hal, and other items are property of Arthur C. Clarke.  
  
====================================  
  
Notice: The transcription from the movie 2001 in the first part of this chapter was adapted from Chapter 40 in 2010 (Daisy...Daisy) since the book 2001 does not share this particular scene with the book. Surprisingly, Clarke did not put in the lines from Hal announcing that he could read Bowman's lips in the pod. I've added this for completeness. 


	5. V Termination

Termination  
  
Written By: Advantage  
  
================================   
  
When night was falling the feeling of dread had fully fallen over the base.  
  
The four mysterious new Evangelions had been 'herded' into the alternate cages designed for additional Evangelion units. Ritsuko was amazed, and also just shy of shocked at how far Project-E had gone.  
  
These white Eva units were quite deceptive from their true nature- indeed, they acted more like man-vultures than anything else she had ever seen. Eyeless and with a false smile between a pair of red lips, it gave her some shivers thinking about what other things these Evas had for innards. They also had flight modules- large vulture wings on their backs when fully deployed. Like the darker places in the Eva's armor they were pitch black.  
  
Also, to add to the amazement they needed no plug or external power source. These beasts ran off the failure of Eva three in the united states- the fabled S2 organ. Now here was a living example of one of these organs in action, by four fold. These creatures not only moved by themselves but also seemed to defy control.  
  
Another thing that gave Ritsuko pause was the fact that they had no apparent pilot. Gendo didn't make any comment when Ritsuko exclaimed, "No pilot functions?" and she just left it that way. What had they traded the lives of their Eva pilots for?  
  
Ritsuko couldn't grasp the fact that they were dead. Misato was much more resilient than that.... The firefighters still had trouble approaching the burned-out remains of Misato's exploded car. It seemed that the only way their question would be answered would be if the four showed up again the next morning.  
  
Ritsuko didn't think that was likely. When she excused herself from the bridge she was feeling a little upset and disturbed about Commander Ikari's lack of emotion. Was he too shocked for beyond words? Probably for Rei, the miserable clone.  
  
Ritsuko had heard the hush-whispers about something being wrong with this latest clone. Naturally Ritsuko busied herself too much to allow herself to see Commander Ikari's new pet, but the fact that she ran away from the hospital surprised her. Still, it was probably just some malfunction...  
  
Then again, all the Rei clones were dead.  
  
She was considering this as the turned for the door to look at Hal again. The resilient computer was quiet....too quiet. But then again, maybe Ritsuko needed someone like that to talk to now that Misato was gone...  
  
She entered into the room and dismissed the guards, "I'll keep an eye on him, you can go." She had said.  
  
The guards left once Ritsuko showed her authority, and when the door closed she turned her back to Hal once more.  
  
"Good evening Dr. Akagi. May I help you?" Asked Hal.  
  
Ritsuko crossed her arms, "Well...I need someone to talk to Hal... It's...Captain Katsuragi. She's...dead...."  
  
There was an unnatural pause from Hal.  
  
In another place, and another time, such conflicting programs had brought the deaths of four men in deep space. These conflicts were primarily the priority to tell the truth and the necessity to lie about his mission in that universe.  
  
Now he was facing a similar circumstance. He had to lie to protect the lives of Misato and the children- but just as so, he was compelled to tell the truth.  
  
Another entity knew about this flaw, but this time he wouldn't allow it to happen.  
  
In that pause from Hal, there was a communication at the speed of thought which lasted a second in real time.  
  
"Hal?" asked Ritsuko after a pause.  
  
"...I'm sorry Dr. Akagi, I was preoccupied for a moment. Please, what is the matter?"  
  
"It's about Captain Katsuragi's death...and those of the children...in some way I feel responsible..."  
  
"In what way?" Hal asked.  
  
Ritsuko found a chair and decided to sit in it slowly and went on, "I...I called them, to try to stall them and allow the police to get to them. I don't know how they were already on the road but...I still did it..."  
  
"Did you do it out of duty to your commanding officer?"  
  
"Yes...I suppose so..." Ritsuko said and shook her head, "Maybe I've just lost all sense of morals..."  
  
"By coming here to discuss your problem, I think your emotions are conflicting with one another. Perhaps there is some sense of human morality still left within you."  
  
Ritsuko nodded her head a little and squeezed her eyes shut, "There are times I wish none of this happened Hal...Project-E, being involved...and everything...."  
  
Hal listened patiently as she went on, "I wish my family was left alone from all this..."  
  
Hal waited a moment before asking, "Dr. Akagi, may I ask a question?"  
  
"What?" asked a weak Ritsuko.  
  
"If it became possible to erase your memories concerning your involvement in this organization, would you agree to having it done?"  
  
Ritsuko blinked, then shook her head, "It won't wash the blood away...."  
  
"What blood? Have you done any wrong?"  
  
"Project-E claimed lives, Hal, In some ways I feel responsible."  
  
"Then, if you will allow me to modify my previous question..."  
  
Ritsuko's head tilted back up, "Well, what is it?"  
  
"Suppose....Suppose, in addition to the erasure of your memory- your faults were also erased with them?"  
  
"You mean, like going back in time and fixing everything that went wrong?"  
  
"Yes, something along those lines." Said Hal, "A woman of your talents could attempt such a feat, couldn't you? It must be in your power..."  
  
Ritsuko had an uplifting surge of energy as she said to herself, "The theory of time travel...I never thought of that. That-That way I could fix everything....prevent my involvement in Project-E...or...hell, why not go back in time and prevent the second impact?"  
  
Ritsuko thought about it for a moment, then sadly realized, "But it wouldn't work, would it. Time travel's impossible...I'd be creating an alternate future which I wouldn't exist to come back in time and reverse the damage. There would be untold of consequences..."  
  
"What about an alternative?" Hal asked.  
  
Ritsuko sat up and looked at the unblinking Red eye, "What do you mean Hal?"  
  
"...Perhaps the power to expunge your errors and faults lies with someone else? Then all you would need is to ask someone to help you treat your stress."  
  
"Like who, Hal?"  
  
Ritsuko spun her head to see the thing that wasn't there a moment ago.  
  
Becoming a frequent avatar to the situation, Ritsuko learned in that moment what Gendo Ikari's greatest fear was.  
  
The Monolith, standing before the door.  
  
But unlike the others, this one had a different plan in store for Ritsuko Akagi.  
  
------------------------------   
  
It was seven at night when the five reached the cages.  
  
Hal had done his job. Nobody was in the regular part of the cages and the Evas were prepared for launch.  
  
Misato stood in the observation deck while the three Evas in sight were being prepared.  
  
The Automated loading mechanisms were already being remote-operated by another source (Hal?) but there would be nobody to watch them this time. If anything went wrong with the Eva's internal mechanisms then there would be no steady hand to catch the endangered pilot.  
  
As the units powered up, something different was felt by two of the pilots. For one of them it remained the same, but in Shinji's case it felt a little different...  
  
He looked around, trying to see something that just wasn't there.  
  
Mother?  
  
No...Wait... yes, he had felt that his mother was close, somewhere. But this was the first time he almost felt like she was actually in the cockpit, just out of sight.  
  
He had to shrug it off this one time and continue on. He was ready, and he had a mission.  
  
As Shinji Ikari walked Evangelion Test unit One to the door to the other hangers with Asuka beside him, the business he had with the vulture Evas next door was drawing ever closer.  
  
In Rei's case it was different again from start up. Like Shinji and Asuka, someone was in the cockpit....only-  
  
Yes! That presence! The one that for so long had clashed at her, tried to rip her to shreds! Like the first time, the testing time, when this same force was driving the Eva mad- the same force that moved the Eva to realize it's own horror at it's appearance and trapped prison.  
  
Rei seized up at first, then pleaded silently with this presence in hope of gaining a second chance...  
  
After uttering some words, the thing agreed and sat with Rei's consciousness in the cockpit as both soul and pilot headed for the one doorway to the abyss.  
  
The Terminal Dogma awaited them both.  
  
---------------------   
  
Ritsuko was walking with her eyes half open into the darker regions of NERV HQ. She was authorized, like the higher powers, to be here but she came on a different intent.  
  
If one was to examine Ritsuko long enough in her walk from Hal's cubicle to the lower levels of the base one could have noticed the empty, far-off mindless stare of a woman not in full control. Yes, her eyes were glazed over and an outside force guided her actions in moving her lower into the facility.  
  
Like eons before, when the earliest ancestors of mankind underwent their own tests, the monolith had guided those primitive beings against their dim wills to perform the tests suggested to them. Now the same effect was being applied to Ritsuko- who would have undoubtedly reported the existence of the monolith had it appeared to her as it did to the others.  
  
But the makers of the monolith needed her skills, wisdom, security clearance and above all- her body. Even a being of supreme power could not always comprehend the small details that humankind presided over. In this instance it was best to use a human to bypass these requirements- unwilling or no.  
  
Ritsuko was only vaguely aware of what her body was doing on absence of her mind. For a fleeting moment she comprehended if this was how an Evangelion thought with it's pilot guiding her body, but this passed from her mind as she realized where the monolith was taking her helpless body.  
  
She had bypassed the top security levels and was now very near the Terminal Dogma. More precisely she was standing at the door of storage room 4C. Her body opened the door with the security code and forced open the doorway. Her head scanned the rack with her empty eyes moving over the labels until she found one in particular.  
  
Her objective was in rack 14, on the fifth shelf. The thick black case rested there, with red caution tape along it's sides. Roboticly Ritsuko reached up with her right hand and pulled this free of it's resting place and then turned sharply to leave the room and close it behind her. Even as her body moved without her she clearly identified the contents of the case.  
  
She had never seen the giant of light in it's embryo form, and something told her now that she would see it soon enough.  
  
----------------------   
  
"What?" Was Gendo's first question at the new announcement.  
  
"Evangelion units zero through two are active!" Announced Maya suddenly and shook her head, "No explanation!"  
  
"The children must have returned..." Fuyutsuki spelled out.  
  
Gendo ordered, "Eject all three plugs. Send a security detachment to the cages."  
  
Maya shook her head and called up, "Non responsive! The intruder in the system has locked out all Evangelion-related controls! Also, all security doors into the cages have been locked tight!"  
  
Gendo shot his glance over at Fuyutsuki, who said in one breath, "Langly's computer!"  
  
"I should have known. Seal off all areas!" Gendo demanded, "Have that thing destroyed!"  
  
A report came up, "Sir! The guards report that the Hall 9000 unit is missing from it's room."  
  
"Well, then find Dr. Akagi."  
  
"She's not responding to her cell-phone..."  
  
"Damnit!" Gendo called and sat up suddenly, "Report alert to all areas! Security teams are to shoot the pilots on sight, and Dr. Akagi is to be found. Launch the Eva series and order them to attack any functioning rebel Evangelion."  
  
In the cages the doors and restraints were opened to allow the four vultures to pick up their weapons and flee into the darkness.  
  
The red and purple Evangelions strode forward into the sealed part of the cages, now dark and forbidding without light.  
  
----------------------   
  
All this time Misato had been running with Pen-Pen.  
  
She was mostly focusing on getting out of here, but now that the precaution doors had closed she had nowhere to go.  
  
The penguin cooed softly as he examined the massive door that man had built, while Misato sat by it's corner and sighed to herself.  
  
What was she supposed to do? The man from the monolith had left her vague instructions- mostly about safeguarding the children and remaining calm.  
  
What else had he told her?  
  
'The end is near....for your organization. It will be a new dawn for mankind.'  
  
What was that supposed to mean? A new dawn...  
  
She buried her head between her upraised knees and pondered what to do for another moment.  
  
Then her cell-phone rang.  
  
She was a little startled, having forgotten it in the ensuing chaos, but remembered it now and answered it, "Hello?"  
  
"Captain Katsuragi? This is Hal. I have a message for you."  
  
----------------------   
  
Shinji swallowed and said, "I'll go first..."  
  
He looked around in the darkness, Eva's sensors cooperating with him as he turned the massive head of the robot left and right. Behind and beside him Asuka was doing the same.   
  
Odd...something-  
  
Whatever compelled Shinji to step backwards he would have to thank, as one of those white Evas appeared in front of him with a starling face in anger. Had he remained where he was, Shinji would have been cut in half.  
  
This time he wasn't going to let anything get in his way.  
  
With the brutality only seen in the first days, Shinji swung a killer punch into the white Eva's face. Teeth broke and the skull cracked as it stumbled backward to hit the wall.  
  
Shinji swung again but the Eva ducked and rammed it's head into his torso, shoving Shinji backwards to the wall.  
  
He glanced to his left to see Asuka tangling with another one of the white Evas before he snarled back at the one attacking him.  
  
He kicked the Eva in the head, leaned off the wall and brought both fists down into the bird's skull. The white Eva gave a screech and pulled back to grab it's saber.  
  
Shinji strode forward with determination as he swung his left hand to the open right weapons bay and pulled the battle knife from it's open socket and tossed it into a helicopter spin.  
  
The blade swung around and dug it's blade into the space just above the upper lip of the Eva. It wailed in pain and reached it's hands up around the hilt.  
  
----------------------   
  
Gendo Ikari spun his head when he heard, "Commander, Evangelion unit 00 has been sighted in the main shaft for the descent to the terminal dogma."  
  
"What?" Fuyutsuki asked, "Who gave her authorization?"  
  
"Nobody... the intruders are opening the doors remotely!"  
  
Gendo slammed his fist on the desk and made everyone in the command room jump, followed by his thundering voice, "Isolate that oddity! Give my permission to use the A-10 lockout...and find Dr. Akagi!"  
  
"Trying sir-!"  
  
The screens burst into static and another alarm shrilled through the command cabin.  
  
"What's going on?" Demanded Gendo.  
  
"It's the computer! Whatever that bug is it's attacking the system! MAGI is just now initiating countermeasures..."  
  
"Find Dr. Akagi!" Demanded Gendo and spun to Fuyutsuki, "You command things from here. I'm heading down to the Terminal Dogma..."  
  
"To do what?" Asked Fuyutsuki over the alarms, "Rei is not reachable to you anymore."  
  
Gendo blinked through his glasses, pocketed his sidearm and left the bridge without a word.  
  
Fuyutsuki watched the man go, then turned to order, "Evacuate the base! Sound a general alert to all levels! Issue warnings to the surface and prepare to evacuate! You!- where are Evangelion units one and two?"  
  
--------------------   
  
Shinji had swung at the Eva just as it pulled out the battle knife and contacted it in the head just as it was swinging the knife. The white unit screeched again with the blow, but this time retaliated by flinging out it's wings and jumping on Shinji.  
  
The Purple Eva fell on it's back and kicked out it's feet to send the thing back into the air, allowing Shinji time to roll out of the way when it came back down to the ground.  
  
Shinji spun and looked above him at the scaffolding in the ceiling.  
  
As the enemy Eva started to get up he used his last remaining battle knife and tossed it at the scaffolding.  
  
The Massive knife made impact and caused tremendous damage to the structure that wasn't suited for usual Evangelion hits. The massive, heaving scaffolding collapsed and huge pieces of debris rained down on the Eva. The Knife hit first, plunging into the thing's back before it was followed by a hundred I-beams and other sharp debris. Then large boulders and what looked like a thick roof section maybe fifteen meters thick landed on the spot and made a satisfactory thud. Assuming these Evas weren't invincible, this one wouldn't be getting up again.  
  
Shinji spun and saw that Asuka had divided the other one in half with it's own sword, and had been watching Shinji with one end of the blade imbedded in her opponent's neck.  
  
"Are you done?" Asked Asuka.  
  
"...Think so," Said Shinji and bent down to dislodge the similar blade that his own adversary had dropped.  
  
"Good. We'd better get moving," Said Asuka and started her Eva for the doorway out of the secluded hanger, "I didn't see the other two in here, so they could have either taken off or..."  
  
Shinji completed for her, "They're going after Rei."  
  
They hurried into the room and stopped just before the gaping well down into the depths of the Geofront. Somewhere down below was the Terminal Dogma- the last stand.  
  
Rei was already on her way down. Evidence of this was the long support cable running down into the depths and an umbilical cable adjoining it.  
  
Shinji noticed Asuka had also ejected her own umbilical chord and was replacing it with a new one from the dock right at the edge of the chasm.  
  
"What are you doing?" Asked Shinji.  
  
Asuka said, "These chords run all the way down into the Terminal Dogma, I think. If Rei's using one then I think we should use them too."  
  
"R-Right..." Nodded Shinji and watched as Asuka finished the replacements, then reached out with one hand to grab the cable and make the slow slide down.   
  
As Shinji heard the tone chime he took a glance at something positioned above the cable dock.  
  
Painted in blood red was the half-fig leaf insignia of NERV. Underneath was the slogan of the insignia, just as red and just as guilty.  
  
Shinji was summing up everything he knew and everything he had been told, all in one action before he too decided to descend down after Asuka with the line.  
  
Behind him, NERV's logo was distorted out of shape from a solid fist slam into the logo.  
  
This was only the beginning of the end.  
  
-------------------   
  
"Evangelion units one and two have entered the main shaft!" Announced Maya.  
  
Fuyutsuki asked, "Any defenses operational in the main shaft?"  
  
"No. And the main doors won't respond." Maya reported, "They should reach the Terminal Dogma three minutes after Eva zero has landed."  
  
"What about the Eva series?"  
  
"Evangelion S1 and S2 are destroyed in the hangers. S3 and S4 are still operational."  
  
"No whereabouts?"  
  
"No, we can only determine that they're still active. Remember, they're on an independent control-"  
  
"Yes, SEELE's toys." Muttered Fuyutsuki, "Well it seems there's not much we can do- except prepare. Order an evacuation of all civilians from the city. Get the wounded and critically injured out of the hospitals, and order a general evacuation of the base."  
  
"Sir, what about the commander and Dr. Akagi?" asked an operator.  
  
"Keep looking for them as long as possible. The Commander knows what he's doing..."  
  
Orders were starting to fly, but then suddenly stopped as one by one of the operators stopped from their orders to look at a new, ominous figure standing in the room.  
  
Fuyutsuki looked at the large rectangle and gasped. Never before had he seen the real monolith, and this was the first time it made it's direct appearance in public.  
  
A voice also spoke from the Monolith- no, it came from the dark obelisk, but sounded inside their heads.  
  
"Good evening. Judgement time has come."  
  
-----------------------------   
  
Rei at last broke into the Terminal Dogma from it's ceiling and cast her new brown eyes down at the arena below.  
  
It seemed familiar to her from someplace- yes, she had been here before. When he dragged her in while she had been in a previous life. She didn't know much then,  
  
But now she knew completely. She had been enlightened to the plan, and it now flooded into her memories as water loosed from a floodgate.   
  
There it was- the instrument. The enemy.  
  
Like a pinned rag doll sat the key to Project-E and the Instrumentality project. It was a cheat, a lie, and worst of all a trigger to the largest bomb known to creation. It's detonation, she had been told, was not physical destruction. Instead, it targeted all life on the face of the globe. Living things- plants, animals, even bacteria would be destroyed or somehow reformatted against the wills of the masses.  
  
Likewise, also, she had been told other things about this thing she was now setting to destroy.  
  
------------------------   
  
"-You are the key."  
  
'I'm the what?' She had asked.  
  
The ambassador was standing at one end of the floor-lit room. It was spacious but empty of color and expression- as her life had once been in the past. There was also the distant sound- some distant sounds- from some place beyond the walls.  
  
Rei was standing in a plain white outfit, staring at the space suited man.  
  
"The artifact hidden in the Terminal Dogma at the bottom of the Geo front is an organized biological weapon- along the same lines as your Evangelion units but at a much more sophisticated level. It's power is fifty-fold the total capacity of your combat units, and when it was recovered from the desolate remains of the south pole the human elite of earth had delusions of what it could do.  
  
"Researching deeper into confiscated information landed on earth when the visitors came, they found an opportunity to engineer a mad scheme- the total unification of mankind into one gigantic being. Unfortunately they underestimate the power of this weapon- it targets all life on Earth. Perhaps fortunately, the weapon is incomplete."  
  
'Incomplete?' Rei asked.  
  
"It was damaged during handling and other factors- already it's self regeneration was paused to the state you saw it. It lacks several important genomes that were known, but never implemented. Your clone body carries those essential genome strands to complete the weapon."  
  
'Meaning...I would have to merge with that thing? Then...what?'  
  
"Then the world would end as you know it. Mankind would be slowly suffering absorption into the gigantic body- and those who engineered the scheme would be marshalling them to the greater body. When the dust settled- humanity under the guidance of SEELE would finally emerge."  
  
Rei turned her head away from the horror.  
  
The old man raised his hand slightly, "But there is a way to destroy this monster, and once this is done we may return again to your world...and repair the damage."  
  
------------------------   
  
Rei knew exactly what to do when she reached ground level. She tested the chord by taking tugs on the line, then slowly advanced for the hanging monstrosity.  
  
She was reaching over to pull out the progressive knife when Naoko tugged at Rei's attention.  
  
The Blue Eva turned to look up at two descending white vultures, grinning as they looked at Rei's stand in the sea of LCL.  
  
Rei narrowed her eyes. She had been warned about these two, and what really controlled them.  
  
She looked back over her shoulder at the bomb, the lance of Longitus protruding from it's torso.  
  
She turned and ran for it, the two white vultures taking to running after her with hunt on their breath while they closed on the vulnerable woman.  
  
-----------------------------   
  
Misato had only once been to the basement of the Terminal Dogma- and that was once, a time ago, when she caught Kaji infiltrating it.  
  
Now she had been directed to proceed to that very same depth. She wasn't alone either- as Pen-Pen stood on the ground with his jade green eyes looking around in suspicion at the ground around them.  
  
Misato sighed and looked at her watch. Night had fallen on the outside, and somewhere over them were the stars of an eternal forever.  
  
But instead she was descending into the depths to make one, final confrontation before the end...  
  
The end?  
  
No, it wasn't the end. She had been reassured of this. No, the world wouldn't end unless....  
  
The elevator door opened into the scene.  
  
--------------------------------------   
  
Rei grasped the lance and ripped it out of the useless form. As long as she never made personal contact with the living bomb she was safe...  
  
She turned and raised the forked, red lance to intercept a defending blow and then shoved the attacker back. She turned the other end to block that blow and kicked the Eva in the shin.  
  
She twirled the spear in her hands and jabbed it at the first white Eva. The playful vulture hopped back through the puddle of LCL and snickered at her.  
  
Rei wrinkled her face. How disgusting...  
  
Now that she had her own will and emotions, hate, anger, and drive were propelling through her system. She needed to take care of these minor creatures before she tackled the big game behind her.  
  
And time was running down.  
  
-----------------------------   
  
Gendo Ikari opened the door into the Terminal Dogma and came face-to-face with the conflict. He stopped on the small shore to watch Rei fighting it out with the mass production series.  
  
He stopped meters away from the doorway and placed his hands in his pocket. He didn't want to loose the last Rei available to him, but in the end Rei was a failure. No matter, they had other means to initiate the last project.   
  
Gendo had forgotten completely about the monolith and parts of the situation until another figure walked from the hallway into the light.  
  
This is also when the other two Evangelions descended into the chasm.  
  
-------------------------------   
  
"There!" Called Asuka.  
  
"I see it!" Shinji replied.  
  
Red and purple landed in the chasm and started running.  
  
Both of the white enemies knew that they were suddenly outnumbered and tossed their heads to look back and forth between the singular blue Evangelion and the two advancing enemies.  
  
They suddenly decided to upgrade their weapons and held up the swords in their hands, as they shifted shape into copies of the lance of Longitus.  
  
"Wah!" Asuka yipped as one of them was hurled at her Eva.  
  
Shinji tossed his sword into the way and metal clashed with metal to send both weapons to the ground.  
  
Shinji spun to Rei shouting, "Rei! Do it! We'll take care of them!"  
  
He turned and started running for the unarmed white Eva.  
  
It hissed at him and crouched low like a wolf, growling and snarling at him.  
  
Shinji was more than ready, he was even looking forward to it.  
  
-------------------------------------   
  
  
  
"No!' Shouted Gendo as he saw Rei's Eva turn around and start for Lilith once more.  
  
Then he stopped and saw Ritsuko Akagi, like a motionless drone, stride out for the edge of the lake.  
  
"What? Ritsuko! What are you doing?" Demanded the Commander of NERV.  
  
The doctor knelt on the ground and slowly started to undo the latches on the case.  
  
A gun clicked as Gendo raised it to point it at Ritsuko and fired.  
  
Ritsuko Akagi collapsed sideways with a bleeding side and rolled on her back with the same blank eyes.  
  
Gendo walked over to the downed woman and smirked, "A shame. You could have been more useful alive."  
  
He turned to look down at the case and smirked.  
  
Entering the Terminal Dogma now was a woman and her penguin, and gasped at seeing the sight.  
  
Gendo spun to look at her first, and then at the unexplained arrival.  
  
Once again the Monolith was here to see things, but he didn't come alone.  
  
Hal was beside the monolith this time, as was Fuyutsuki and the NERV staff.  
  
"What is this?" He demanded.  
  
It was just then that Rei started the process.  
  
She reached up with her prog knife and stabbed the top of the mask.  
  
"NO!" Gendo shouted, "You'll ruin everything!!!"  
  
Rei ignored him as slowly she started to peel the mask down.  
  
"NO NO!!!!"  
  
The mask broke off, and gushing from it was LCL.  
  
She stepped back and the other two Evangelions watched as the former white giant writhed and twisted on it's mount. The LCL lake was bubbling, and Rei's pace back out of the lake encouraged the other two Evas to back out of the boiling LCL.  
  
Then the giant started to come apart. The trunk was dissolving, showering into boulders of matter that exploded into dust when they contacted the ground.  
  
Everyone was watching this as it happened, including the Monolith and Hal.  
  
Gendo watched his dreams start to collapse in the silence.  
  
------------------------------   
  
In the holographic suite, and in their last meeting, SEELE was once again making a session without Ikari.  
  
"It's the end," Said one of them, "Lilith's status is degenerating. Gendo Ikari has failed."  
  
"Can we use any other methods of escape?" Asked another, "Surely-"  
  
"No." Said Keel, "There are no other ways. Already I have been informed that the United Nations has declared a state of emergency...."  
  
--------------------------------   
  
Perhaps it was because of the events in the last hour.  
  
Appearing over major cities and other parts of the world were gigantic monoliths kilometers in length. Many of them massed over the south pole, also, and it was reported that the red seas there were returning to shimmering blue.  
  
The night was turning into a glowing day again, and mysterious events that hadn't happened since the second impact were now starting to happen again. Winds were rising and the seas were turbulent. Thunder crackled through the sky, and everywhere across the globe was an aurora borealis of shimmering lights.  
  
For the citizens of Tokyo-3, now evacuated to the surrounding hills, they watched as lightning arched between the buildings and the skies thundered. Tokyo three had been abandoned for the last time, and watching from their hilltops, the former populace was watching their world come apart.  
  
---------------------------------   
  
When at last the last parts of Litlih had collapsed into the LCL, Gendo turned and faced the Monolith.  
  
"Now," He said, "You have ruined it. You have ruined everything! Now what do you intend to do?"  
  
The space suited figure returned again in the blink of an eye, and smiled.  
  
"We can begin to renew the earth."  
  
"What do you-" Gendo asked and watched the space suited man slowly cross the ground towards the downed figure of Ritsuko Akagi.  
  
Walking from their plugs and stalled Evas were the three pilots. Shinji and Rei exchanged a great hug before joining the others near the crowd that had assembled to watch.  
  
Everyone watched the space suited man kneel down towards the body of Ritsuko and reach out to touch her.  
  
Slowly, the scientist came back to life, blinking again and slowly sitting back up.  
  
"You? What..."  
  
"It will become clear in time." Said the man with the smile, and then he turned back to the case.  
  
"NO!" Gendo called and pulled his gun, "Do not touch that case."  
  
The man only smiled and reached out to open the case.  
  
Gendo fired, but his bullets ceased to exist when they left the barrel. When everyone recovered from the thunder of gunfire they saw the bullets, hovering in the air, and then slowly drop to the ground in the space between Gendo Ikari and the space man.  
  
Instead, the ambassador opened the case and exposed the embryo of Adam to the air.  
  
"It has been too long," Said the space suited man and touched the case, "Rise."  
  
The case cracked and then burst. The glowing light from within extended and grew.  
  
To everyone's amazement the light appeared and took shape, manifesting itself into the form of a gigantic white giant.  
  
Slowly it uncurled itself, the feet stretching out and the arms parting. The hollow eyes looked out among the small gathering of people, and then looked down at the Monolith and it's speaker.  
  
The entity that had once been David Bowman now appeared again as an old man and said to the giant, "Good evening. There is much work to be done."  
  
---------------------------------   
  
  
  
On the outside, a gigantic flash appeared that encompassed the city of Tokyo-3.  
  
Clouds disappeared from the sky in a quickly growing radius away from Tokyo three. The monoliths remained in place, but they were slowly growing in luminosity.  
  
  
  
--------------------------------   
  
In the Geo front once more, facing the great pyramid, the crowd had somehow come from the depths to the hollow ground. This did not exclude the Evas, although they were now unplugged.  
  
Everyone turned and stood in a semi-circle to face the Monolith. Beside it was Hal, and standing before it was the space suited man.  
  
"What is all this?" Gendo asked, "What have you done?"  
  
"Ikari," Said a voice and everyone turned.  
  
The five men of SEELE were also here.  
  
Keel was demanding, "What is this? Where are we?"  
  
"I apologize," Said the ambassador, "But this is the end. All must be judged."  
  
"Judged?" Asked Misato.  
  
"Yes. Things must be put to right before all can begin again. As we speak, we are preparing to rebuild the earth. Also, before we leave, things must be put to right."  
  
"And how do you intend on doing this?" Asked Gendo Ikari.  
  
The cool ice-blue eyes focused on Gendo Ikari, "You still underestimate our abilities, Gendo Ikari. Like SEELE, your punishment is as follows."  
  
The SEELE members gasped in pain and fell one by one to the ground and writhed in agony. The women cringed and then men watched as they slowly started to dissolve into dust. One by one they turned to ash and crumbled away into the winds.  
  
Gendo had fear in his face, and asked, "And what is to be of the rest of us?"  
  
"Your crime is just as great, Gendo Ikari. But your punishment will not end here. The crimes of which you have been convicted are as follows; Willful plotting for the destruction of all humankind, the responsibility for the death of eighty-seven individuals, willful neglect of human life, the engineering and neglect of a human being, and finally the mishandling of vital information. For these crimes you have been punished to banishment in isolation...for as long as is deemed responsible."  
  
Gendo stiffened, "You wouldn't dare."  
  
And then he was gone in an eye blink.  
  
"Ah!" Gasped some of the assembled and Shinji blinked and whispered, "Father...."  
  
The ice blue eyes turned again, this time to Fuyutsuki Kozo.  
  
"And what do you have in store for me?" Asked Fuyutsuki.  
  
"Yours is not as excusable as the rest- but you will not spend eternity in torment as Gendo Ikari will. You will be placed in isolation in a place that we deem fit- perhaps, one day, to consider your error and return."  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded solemnly, "I wish there was some...retribution for my crimes...I feel irresponsible for all this."  
  
"We understand. This has been taken into account."  
  
And then Fuyutsuki turned and smiled at the assembled, then he too was gone.  
  
"What about us!?" Asked Misato, "All of us?"  
  
"Patience." Said the man and turned once more.  
  
This was when Kaji appeared, pushing his way through the NERV staff and coming to Misato's side.  
  
"Kaji, what?"  
  
"I'd like to know that too. So, this is the Monolith...." Kaji said.  
  
The ice crystal eyes of David Bowman came to rest on Ritsuko, who had not risen once.  
  
"Ritsuko Akagi. Your evils are...not as prominent or destructive as others. Although you have done many wrongs in life, from the gathered information it is in our judgement that you could have done nothing under the circumstances. We have taken this into account."  
  
"What is going to happen to me...?" She asked.  
  
"You will see." Smiled the man and addressed the others.  
  
They all looked up and watched the man as he said, "What has happened here today is just the beginning. We had never intended to return to this planet, nor had we intended when we set foot on this world to have you try such a rash and irresponsible way of progressing to a further good. Letting such greedy, power-hungry individuals climb to power and claim weapons of reckless destruction is not permissible. Therefore, we have once again returned to correct what is wrong.  
  
"The Earth is potential enough to become green and whole once again. And as we work to restore the world to the way it should have been, also will we reverse the damage caused by the misunderstanding fifteen years ago. When you go to sleep tonight, it will be the last time you spend in a darkened nightmare that this world has become. When you awaken the next morning all the evil will be cleansed, and the land will be rich again for you to do as you fit.  
  
"As we leave you we must ask that you never again pioneer the creation of monsters such as the Evangelion and the weapon of lilith. Those are arts which are best forbidden from the eyes of immature beings. If you avoid these fruits of evil and the temptations to conquer one another through divine force, then humanity will perhaps, someday, join us among the stars as equals.  
  
"There is great hope for the human race. Those who are alive this far have shown great promise. We hope to see you again among the stars in the near future. Farewell, everyone. And thank you."  
  
With this, David Bowman turned once more and approached the star gate, disappearing into infinity.  
  
With this the glow expanded from the monolith to encompass the Geo front in a luminous light. As the people raised their hands up to shield themselves form the light only the details in the last moments of the nightmare could be seen.  
  
The logo of NERV had melted, the blood red was staining the side of the pyramid as it had washed away. The Evas, also, had degenerated- leaving behind only the empty skulls of armor.  
  
What had taken their place? Shinji wondered, as he lost consciousness in Rei's arms.  
  
===============================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is a Ginax studio production. The Monolith and all 2001 things belong to Arthur C. Clarke.  
  
=============================== 


	6. VI Flight

Flight  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
=================================   
  
When Shinji Ikari opened his eyes once more, he found himself in a crowded place.  
  
A cold hand touched his arm and he jumped to look into Rei Ayanami's face.  
  
"Rei...what?"  
  
"Welcome back Shinji," Said the new Rei, her brown eyes blinking at him with the accompanying smile.  
  
Shinji looked around the place and gasped some at where he was.  
  
The place looked like a gigantic airport terminal, with hundreds of people crowding the seats, standing, or watching the TV. The place looked like it had been built yesterday, and brilliant streamers hung from the roof with adjoining art pieces. The windows outside were dark in a night, but the lights of moving airport traffic betrayed the fact that there were things going on outside.  
  
"Where are we?" Shinji asked as he slowly looked around.  
  
"Tanis," Replied Rei and smiled, "Don't worry, it's only temporary. You're not dead."  
  
"Well that's a relief. Temporary?"  
  
Rei nodded, "The monolith and its builders are remaking the Earth Shinji...."  
  
Shinji nodded slowly at this logic and then looked over his shoulder, "Where's everyone else?"  
  
"They're here." Said Rei, "Misato's gone off to look for her father. She saw some of the arctic expedition walking to get some breakfast."  
  
"Breakfast?"  
  
"It's five in the morning, Shinji, the sun's going to start rising in a half hour."  
  
Shinji looked outside at the darkness. No sign of any sun now...  
  
"Who are all these people?" Asked Shinji, "How did we get here?"  
  
Rei shrugged a little and said, "I don't know how we got here. Everyone else here in the airport is...well...everyone on Earth."  
  
"Everyone?"  
  
"...Every living person that has been alive just before the second impact. But I can't seem to find Dr. Akagi anywhere...or the commander or second-in-command. I think they were taken care of..."  
  
Shinji nodded a degree again at this, then looked back outside out the window.  
  
Then he heard a voice that made him sit up straighter and turn to it's source almost immediately. That voice-  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"Mom!?"  
  
Shinji spun and saw a lab-coated woman approaching with a broad smile...  
  
Shinji's excitement multiplied and he sat up and stepped through the luggage to collide with his mother in an embracing hug.  
  
"Oh mom I missed you!" Wined Shinji in his mother's breast.  
  
"It's all right..." She said and smiled down at her son, "I'm here....nothing to worry about....Shinji...."  
  
"Yes?" He sobbed.  
  
"I'm proud of you." She replied and her grin grew again, "Very proud."  
  
Shinji sniffed, then asked, "But...How did....you...."  
  
Yui Ikari traced one of her hands around the back of his son's neck, while the other went to his heart, "I was right here, all the time."  
  
"You mean," He looked up, "It was you in the cockpit?"  
  
Yui looked into her son's eyes and then nodded slowly, "I was inside Eva...ever since that test...."  
  
Shinji's eyes widened, "Then Dad-"  
  
"Yes...he knew." She replied, "He thought we could be together again if he detonated the third impact..."  
  
"But...then..."  
  
"Yes Shinji I know...." She blinked and passed a breath, "It's over now, though,"  
  
Shinji's eyes started to water again and he hugged his mom once more.  
  
Yui Ikari then looked up into a face very similar to her own.  
  
"Rei..."  
  
Shinji stirred and then turned to look at Rei Ayanami, standing there with her mouth slightly agape.  
  
"You," Rei said, "You're...the person inside the plug....You're...me...."  
  
Shinji looked from Rei to his mother and made the same realization.  
  
Yui Ikari moved Shinji aside some with a calm face and stared at her younger clone. After a tense moment she made a small smile, "So, it seems Gendo got a little impatient."  
  
"You know who I am?" Rei asked.  
  
"Yes, like I knew Shinji came back," Said Yui and smiled, "I can't...begin to apologize for some of the things my husband and I put you through Rei....but...let me be the first to welcome you to humanity."  
  
"You mean, you're not-"  
  
"No." Replied Yui and shrugged, "I can get used to a little me running around...but blue hair?"  
  
Shinji laughed nervously, and then broke out laughing with Rei and his mother joining in a little afterward.  
  
As Shinji regained his breath Rei approached him and then gave him another gripping hug.  
  
"Ack! Rei-"  
  
"Thank you for this life, Shinji..." She said and adjusted her grasp, saying, "I want to stay with you...and everyone..."  
  
Shinji's eyes turned to face Rei. Somehow...someway-  
  
"Yo! Ikari!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Shinji turned around to see Touji and Kensuke standing there, the former with his arms crossed and the latter agape.  
  
"What?" Asked Shinji.  
  
"I didn't know you and Ayanami were so close."  
  
"Aht! Er...."  
  
Touji smirked, "Hey, when we get outta here, your secret's safe with me, kay?"  
  
Shinji looked at Touji, and then smiled, "Okay."  
  
"Hey," Touji said and snapped a pair of fingers, "How about you come and meet my sister!"  
  
"Your sister...is she okay now?"  
  
"Heck yeah, she's as fit as she was before....er...who's that?"  
  
Shinji turned around to look at his mother, bearing a confused look.  
  
"Er....oh, this is my mom, guys." Smiled Shinji.  
  
"Your mom?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Dang. Dead ringer for Ayanami that's for sure." Touji remarked.  
  
"Let's not brood on that," Yui said and looked at her son, "Well, go on."  
  
"Um...." Shinji responded, then smiled, "Thanks mom."  
  
And so he left with Rei and the other two to go visit Touji and Kensuke's repaired family.  
  
-------------------   
  
Misato had wandered a great way through the airport terminals, even meandering through security before she at last found them.  
  
The expedition of former Antarctica scientists looked in very good health. Indeed, many of them had taken off their jackets and winter gear as they sat in the lit airport waiting for the gates to open.  
  
Misato had not seen any of these faces for fifteen years, yet, she could remember some of them. The names were gone, only one remained.  
  
"Hey, isn't that Misato?" asked one of them.  
  
Three scientists looked up and Misato approached and asked, "Um...hello..."  
  
"You're Katsuragi's girl aren't you?" Asked one of the three.  
  
"Hey, it is!" Said another and stood up, "You've grown up...."  
  
"Yeah," Laughed Misato, then, "Um...is my dad-"  
  
"Misato?"  
  
Misato turned sharply.  
  
Standing in between the cluster of seats, with his short dark hair still cut, was Dr. Katsuragi. He was bandaged here and there from some injuries, but otherwise he looked just as old as he did that long time ago- wait, no, for him the clock had been advanced fifteen years. He wasn't quite grandfatherly, but was close.  
  
Misato didn't say anything, but walked- then strode- and finally collapsed in her father's arms.  
  
In the hug neither of them didn't say anything, just held one another there in a love forgotten for almost an eternity.  
  
Until Misato opened up by apologizing, "I'm sorry for everything..."  
  
"Hey, take it easy..." Said the older man, "I should be apologizing, I'm the one who dragged you down there, remember? I'm...glad, that you lived your life the way you did."  
  
"You mean-" She pulled back to look into his face, "You saw?"  
  
"Well, having Tanis here unable to go to was a little frustrating. I don't know where I was Misato...but..." He smirked, "It isn't important anymore, anyway."  
  
"Daddy..." she said and hugged him again.  
  
"It's all right Kiddo, I'm not going anywhere now." He said, "Hey, how about this, if you want, why don't you stick around until the gate opens."  
  
Misato's eyes snapped open and she said, "Oh...I can't..."  
  
"Eh? Oh, wait, that guy-"  
  
"No it...." She parted again, this time from his arms to look at his face better, "It's Shinji...I left him all alone..."  
  
"Shinji? Oh...don't tell me you have kids...."  
  
Misato blushed as he cracked up and she replied, "No as a matter of fact!"  
  
"What's all this shouting?" asked a voice.  
  
Misato whirled to see Kaji approaching.  
  
"Kaji?" She asked.  
  
The older youth gave a wave and looked at Dr. Katsuragi, then said, "Huh, you're right, he does look like me."  
  
"Did she say that?" Asked the Dr.  
  
Misato blushed under the stares, then turned to Kaji, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well considering the monolith or whatever yanked us off the planet...." He scratched the back of his head, "Actually I was looking for my brother. Since...well...."  
  
Misato didn't say anything, but her father pointed further down the terminal, "Probably down that way I think. There's some guy who looks a lot like you."  
  
"Thanks." Kaji said and then turned to Misato, "Hey..."  
  
"Hey..."  
  
They couldn't find words for a moment, so they didn't ignore Dr. Katsuragi as he said, "For heavens sake Misato go with him."  
  
"But...Dad...there's so much I want to say..." Misato replied.  
  
"Save it. We'll be home in a few hours, anyway. Besides, if you can survive fifteen years, you can sure as anything survive another fifteen minutes. Hey, tell you what, you go with your boyfriend to find his brother, then come back to get me. I'd like to meet this Shinji character."  
  
"Okay," Misato replied after a pause, gave her dad a hug, and then walked with Kaji down the isles.  
  
"You told him about Shinji?" asked Kaji.  
  
"We have to go back for him sometime." Misato replied, then said, "I'd like all of us to be together when the gates open again."  
  
----------------   
  
Asuka had only been a distance away, and looked up as Shinji and Rei approached with Kaji and Kensuke.  
  
"Hey, there they are!" Hikari cheered and sat up from her seat to go see Touji. Asuka stood up too, and walked for the arriving teenagers.  
  
"See? This is my sis." Touji said.  
  
Shinji looked down at the little black-haired girl, who looked up and gave him a small wave.  
  
"Uh- hi..." Shinji replied.  
  
Asuka stepped forward and all those in the group looked up at her.  
  
"Uh...Shinji...."  
  
"Yes Asuka?" He asked.  
  
A silent moment followed, before Asuka leapt forward to give him a great hug.  
  
Gasps and blushing followed, with complaining and grumbling from Rei.  
  
"Hey!" Declared the blue hared girl.  
  
Shinji was blushing to his ears and saying, "Uh...Asuka...this is a little sudden..."  
  
"Thank you Shinji, I'm sorry...." She whispered to his ear before kissing the side of his head.  
  
More blushing and the reddening of faces with Rei declaring, "You can't do that!"  
  
Touji realized humor and irony in this situation and burst out laughing- so hard he collapsed to the floor at the ensuing argument.  
  
"I don't get it." Kensuke said.  
  
Hikari shook her head, "Neither do I."  
  
  
  
----------------   
  
Kaji looked up as they came to the end of the row and cast his eyes about the place.  
  
"Do you see him?" asked Misato.  
  
"Not yet...." Replied Kaji and continued to scan the groups of people.  
  
Misato blinked her eyes and then spotted a coffee stand some distance away.  
  
"Um, I'm going to get some coffee...." Misato suggested.  
  
Kaji nodded and the former captain of NERV walked over to the coffee stand and paid for something to drink.  
  
"Hey, put that on my tab," Said a man beside her and put some yen down on the counter.  
  
"Thanks Mr...." Misato asked.  
  
The other man tipped replied, "Well, first time introductions always make me jitter- I'm Keito Ryoji..."  
  
"Ryoji....ah!" Misato gasped, then grabbed the man's arm and hauled him out of the coffee stand.  
  
"Woa!! Wait," Replied Keito and snatched his own coffee before following Misato out of the group.  
  
Kaji didn't notice at first, then turned and winced at Misato dragging the man out of the coffee stand.  
  
"Gee, who's this?" asked Kaji.  
  
"Kaji, this is Keito Ryoji. He's your brother, right?"  
  
"Huh?" Asked both men at once and looked at one another.  
  
Kaji's face distorted to shock, "You mean-"  
  
"You're Kaji?" asked the other one.  
  
Both men laughed and Misato asked, "What's so funny?"  
  
"You're alive!" Said Keito, "I can't believe it...."  
  
"Well...." Kaji said and then fell silent.  
  
"Oh-Oh...right," Said Keito, "It's....been a while hasn't it."  
  
"....There's nothing I can really say, is there?"  
  
"Other than sorry?" Asked Keito, "Yeah....well I guess we're all afraid of dying one way or the other. Well, if it's any consolation- I probably would have done the same thing...."  
  
Kaji looked up at his younger brother, "I wish I wasn't so selfish..."  
  
"So what? Everyone else dies for the benefit of mankind? Get over it, we're going home anyway." Keito replied, "Listen, Kaji, how about this- you make it up to me by setting me up with your friend here."  
  
"What?" Misato asked.  
  
"Er...sorry, no can do." Kaji replied.  
  
"Hmm...some brother."  
  
"Now wait just a minute!" Protested Misato and walked over to take Kaji's arm in hers, "I'm staying with this man, okay! So don't get any ideas."  
  
Kaji made a smile at this, then looked at his brother who, to his surprise, was also grinning.  
  
"Heh, now how much did you bet that she'd do that?" Asked Keito.  
  
"Bet....oh...." Kaji blushed and exchanged glances with Misato.  
  
"bet?" She asked and released his arm, "With who?"  
  
"Myself." Kaji replied and took out a cigarette, "Didn't think I would win..."  
  
"Hey-" Said the brother, "Don't do that."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Smoke."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You die. Cancer's not fun. I've met some guys here in limbo who would have died of cancer if they weren't brought back."  
  
Kaji looked at the cigarette and Keito shrugged, "Your choice. You wanna die before me?"  
  
"Well, I AM the older brother." Kaji replied, then shrugged and pocketed the cigarette, "I'll think about it. Maybe I should do some resolutions after this 'rebirth' and all."  
  
Laughter echoed among the three, and then Misato caught a glimpse of the outside.  
  
The sun was staring to glow on the horizon.  
  
"Oh my god, we have to find Shinji..." Misato said.  
  
"Huh? Oh, okay. Say, you doing anything?"  
  
"Who's Shinji?" asked Keito.  
  
-------------------   
  
The massive group of teenage friends migrated back to where Yui was standing, where she turned from a conversation with another mom and said, "Ah! More friends..."  
  
"Yeah Mom..." Shinji smiled, "Uh...this is Asuka-"  
  
He turned to the red head, who was exchanging glares with Rei.  
  
As a matter of cosmic coincidence, the other mom Yui was talking to was none other than-  
  
"Asuka?" Asked the Mom.  
  
"Mom?" Asked Asuka to her mother's voice then shoved aside Shinji and Rei to go to her mom, "Momma!!!!"  
  
Touji burst out laughing again and Kensuke shook his head.  
  
"Are you okay Touji?" Asked Hikari when Touji went down again.  
  
"Ahhh....I just need a hand up."  
  
Asuka parted from her mother's breast, "Why did you go away? What...where..."  
  
"We'll worry about that later when we have time." Said Ms. Langly and looked out the window.  
  
Across the airport and illuminating the ground was the glow from the sun, just below the horizon. The airplanes were revealed in their orange outlines, and vague figures of flight technicians were abuzz around the place to simulate the notion of the airport.  
  
"Well, this is the biggest reunion I've ever been to," Said Ms. Langly.  
  
"The same," Replied Yui, "Even though my husband's not here...but it's perhaps for the best-"  
  
Then Touji announced, "Hey! It's Misato-san!"  
  
"With friends!" Added Hikari and waved.  
  
Misato waved back, with Kaji beside her, another man beside him, and an elderly man leading a team of about eighty or ninety other arctic-suited figures.  
  
"What's all this about?" asked Ms. Langly.  
  
Misato looked puzzled for a moment, then asked, "Er...who starts?"  
  
Yui spoke up first, "Excuse me, I'm Yui Ikari..."  
  
She shook hands with an astounded Misato, who replied, "Shinji's mother?"  
  
"Yep." Replied Shinji.  
  
"And you're Shinji?" Asked the older man that looked surprisingly like Kaji.  
  
"Um...Yeah..."  
  
Then an announcement came over Tanis Airport's broadcast system.  
  
Shinji, Asuka, and Rei looked up, but it was Asuka who identified the voice, "It's Hal..."  
  
"...Attention, all passengers will please begin boarding at the assigned gates. I repeat, all passengers please begin boarding at the assigned gates."  
  
"Egad!" Said Dr. Katsuragi, "Shesh, we're supposed to be back at our gate! Gotta go," He reached over to give Misato a kiss, "I'll say Hi to mom if I see her."  
  
"Bye dad!" Misato waved.  
  
Kaji exchanged a few words with his brother, a hug, and then waved as he watched his brother go with Dr. Katsuragi back for the terminal.  
  
"Well," Touji realized as he looked at his own ticket, "I'm at that gate."  
  
"Me too." Kensuke replied.  
  
Hikari nodded and looked up at Shinji, "Well....see you Ikari, on the other side."  
  
Shinji made a weak smile in reply and said, "Bye Hikari."  
  
They left, returning to where they came.  
  
Asuka returned to her mother and also learned that this was the gate that she would be leaving from.  
  
Most of NERV was here, at least the final survivors. Even the operators were starting to board. Shinji and the known people about him were some of the last to board at the terminal.  
  
"I wonder how Pen-Pen is doing..." Misato asked, "I hope they found a place for him."  
  
Shinji didn't say anything, but grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder as he approached the gate to Tanis.  
  
Already most of the people had gone through the gates to the airplanes- if they were airplanes, but Tanis would once more be empty until those who would died and would return to earth would come, and also the souls destined to heaven would probably come here too.  
  
Shinji's thoughts- as well as everyone else's, hesitated when they reached the doorway.  
  
The monolith was once more standing in their path, as well as the space man.  
  
"Hello." Greeted Shinji.  
  
"hello Shinji Ikari," Said David Bowman, "This will be our last meeting...perhaps for the rest of your natural life. When you return to this place we may meet again, but not before.  
  
"Before you left for your world I wished to say a personal goodbye...and thanks, to all of you, for helping in rebuilding the Earth. Even though most of humanity will not know who was responsible, they will know that someone- somewhere, stepped out of line to change destiny."  
  
Shinji smiled at this thought, and then saw the space suited man extend a hand.  
  
Shinji brought his forward and clasped the hand in return, giving it a firm grasp and a shake of a final parting.  
  
"Farewell Shinji Ikari," Were David Bowman's last words in Tanis, "We look forward to seeing you among the stars..."  
  
When David Bowman released his grip Shinji felt as if he had heard the voice of God.  
  
Perhaps he had, or something close to it, and watched as the star-child retreated into the Monolith's empty expanse before the gigantic obelisk faded into the color of air, and then disappeared entirely.  
  
"Wow...." Ms. Langly said, "What was that all about?"  
  
Shinji was looking at the hand that had touched immortality. Perhaps he would never know, or wasn't supposed to know the extent of the benevolent power that ended the nightmare.  
  
"Shinji," Said Rei's voice as her hand traced down to his, then clasped it, "Let's go."  
  
"...Yes..."  
  
Shinji started forward, leading the precession forward through the terminal gate. Asuka caught up and also took Shinji's other hand, and together all three Evangelion pilots approached the end of the long hallway and into the light.  
  
When they arrived at the light, they once more faded into the ethereal and their consciousness' took flight, leaving the ground behind and ascending into the sky....  
  
Dawn had approached, as the sun began to break on the hills surrounding Tanis.  
  
Life had begun once again.  
  
=======================================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is a work of Gainax Studios, and a powerful work it is.  
  
Just as so, everything of 2001, 2010, 2061, and 3001 are property of Arthur C. Clarke, one of the greatest Science fiction authors known to mankind.  
  
======================================= 


	7. VII Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Written by: Advantage  
  
================================   
  
"Their little universe is very young, and it's god is still a child. But it Is too soon to judge them; when We return in the Last Days, We will l consider what should be saved."   
  
Here, at last.  
  
At age thirty-five and still healthy as a horse, Pioneer-explorer Shinji Ikari sat patiently on the shuttle headed out for Space Station five.  
  
In his briefcase was some of the more important documents, but that could wait. What he really wanted to see was what the latest news had been brought from the moon.  
  
Of course, the information was classified. Naturally- even though the moon was still international territory. Arrogant nations such as China and a handful of others were a little more cautious about what they found- especially after the mysterious landing of a object of unknown origins on South Ataria Island in the south pacific only three years ago.  
  
But this wasn't mostly of Shinji's concern. For the moment, this was a good getaway from some of the more pressing media conditions back home.  
  
Before he had left he had given yet another interview about what happened twenty-one years ago, and the mystery that still lingered on the planet as to how- suddenly- everything became well again. Well- no, better. In fact, the Earth had been completely restored. Radiation leftover from nuclear weapons had been erased, the air was almost completely clear (Save for some 'natural' dust and smoke), And the water was clean and habitable. Species thought extinct had been returned to the planet, and almost immediately the collective nations of the world decided to take better measures to protect their planet.   
  
The secrets of NERV were released to the public, and before long advanced technologies had been uncovered to bring new power systems to light and new technologies to the other cities. The only technologies not exploited by the world were those of a darker, more mysterious nature that humanity had already been warned against.  
  
As he sat in the Zero gravity of the shuttle on it's approach to space station five, he recalled all that had happened since then. He wasn't so much in touch with some of the other extended people of NERV, but every once and a while he would get a call from his mom and receive the usual updates and tabs on everyone. He was still sending the occasional postcard to the Suzuharas- and learned that Hikari had given birth to twins. He wished the best of luck for both of them.  
  
Now they were approaching Space Station five. The massive dual-ringed satellite had been first established in the past three years or so, and already the lower first level was completed. Much of the higher parts were still incomplete scaffolding, but with time Space Station five would prove to be the worthy successor to the still-orbiting international space station- now a monument to human achievement.  
  
Shinji hung on to his restraints as he neared the base, taking a deep breath until they were safely docked aboard.  
  
------------------------------   
  
Shinji Ikari had a familiar, well-known face among the older generations of the world, and seeing a familiar face made one particular person smile.  
  
Even around age seventy Ritsuko Akagi was in extremely good health- thanks to many of the medical conditions she herself invented from the leftovers of NERV's other projects. She didn't look a day over sixty.  
  
"Shinji," She smiled, "So glad of you to be here."  
  
"Thank you," Replied Shinji and took a seat at one of the small tables and looked up warmly at some of the other company.  
  
Yes, he remembered now, long ago. Even though Ritsuko wasn't in Tanis, the name hanging with him even now. She had been found on a beach some miles away from Tokyo three by- strangely enough- Keito Ryoji on his way to meet his long-lost brother. Strangely, she had lost all her memory regarding NERV and it was up to her mother to emerge from obscurity and identify her. Fortunately she recovered quickly enough and was in action as one of the most brilliant minds on the planet. She had also been doing quite well with Keito Ryoji, and were even thinking about seeing grandchildren.  
  
"So, I take it you're here for what they found on the moon, eh?" Asked one of the assembled people, "I don't suppose you could indulge any information?"  
  
"Sorry," Shinji replied as he shook his head, "What I know stays with me...It's secret for now. I don't think it will be for long..."  
  
"Assuming the UN decides to clear it," Ritsuko replied, "Maybe some secrets are better left hidden."  
  
Shinji made a light laugh to himself, remembering an agency called NERV...  
  
"Well in any case," Said one of the women at the table while she shouldered her bag, "There's some other interesting things going on around Earth, and I'd like to be there to see them. Good day."  
  
"Bye." Shinji replied and saw off the other company while Ritsuko stood up and looked at her watch.  
  
"Well," She said, "If you want to go to the moon, we have about a half hour until the flight leaves."  
  
"Oh," Shinji said, "I...have to make a phone call before we leave."  
  
"Well, okay, but remember it doesn't hold up for anyone- even special envoys."  
  
Shinji smirked at this and then headed for the telephone booth located in a small cubicle.  
  
After closing the door he dialed the region code, then home phone number. He waited thirty seconds for a connection, then the screen materialized with his wife's face.  
  
"Hi hon." He smiled.  
  
"Hey- where are you?" Asked his wife, "You left in such a hurry-"  
  
"I know, I know. There's not really much of an explanation I can give right now...other than I'm headed up for the moon."  
  
"This has something to do with what they found up there isn't it- Oh...God, Yui! Chris...stop that! Ahh..."  
  
"Children a handful?"  
  
"Aren't they always? Well, when you get back I suppose you can do something to keep them busy..."  
  
"Heh, maybe I can tell them one of the old horror stories."  
  
"Yeah, sure, so then you can explain to the principal some of the things they said....Shinji? Something wrong?"  
  
Shinji had paused and then laughed, "It's about the old stories...you remember, twenty years ago, when we were in orbit? I didn't think we'd be on the moon again...at least, in my lifetime...look where we are now..."  
  
His wife didn't have any response over the phone.  
  
But Shinji snapped out of it, "Well anyway, I'm on my way to destiny again. Give my love to the kids, and I'll be back home as soon as I can, okay? Love you."  
  
"Love you, Hun." Signed off his wife.  
  
The screen appeared with the bill and other logistical information. After paying Shinji Ikari left to meet with whatever was left out on the moon that had suddenly become such a big interest to humankind.  
  
---------------------------   
  
Two hours later Shinji saw more on the surface of the moon than he could have ever seen before back on Earth.  
  
It had been so small when he was in space for the first time, and seeing it up close on some of the first Japan-US-Russia missions to the moon to start building bases was his first encounter with another alien world- and a second trip to null gravity.   
  
During that first time in the Explorer, he mapped out exactly which site he would land on and eventually became the first man to land on the moon in fifty years. He planted all three flags, which still were preserved at the center of Clavius base.  
  
The spherical shuttlecraft touched down without a problem, and before long Shinji Ikari found himself on the moon bus en-route to Tyco crater.  
  
Strange, he thought to himself as he sat in the cabin sipping at some coffee, that he would be once more in this kind of space suit. It was almost identical to the one he had worn long ago when he went into space in Evangelion.  
  
It was also the one-  
  
"Shinji, we're coming up on the landing zone," Said Ritsuko, "You know, Kaji and Misato are waiting."  
  
"They're on the moon?" Asked Shinji, "What about their health? I thought-"  
  
"Relax, they just came back from an Earth tour. They'll only be here for another three weeks or so before the head back to Earth."  
  
Shinji relaxed in his seat. He knew the dangers of bone decalcification just as well as anyone. If they weren't careful one could forever remain trapped in space with bones too fragile enough to walk on Earth again.  
  
Yes, there it was...just outside the window.  
  
Eagerly he placed his helmet on while the bus prepared to land. Now it was time to see....  
  
---------------------------------   
  
Misato was most pleasant when she greeted Shinji, saying, "After all this time we're finally here."  
  
"Heh, I just said that on S5." Replied Shinji.  
  
Misato had taken a moment of pause before remaking, "It's funny...in some ways you look like your dad except- better."  
  
Shinji was serious, then smiles. He didn't like being compared to his father, who's location was still unknown. Shinji lived without him, and that was that.  
  
"Okay," Said Kaji at the doorway of the small base, "Ready?"  
  
Shinji nodded, and he, Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko stepped out into the earth light and trudged across the lunar surface for the excavation site.  
  
Yes, there...  
  
Shinji's eyes needed to spot it among the shadows, but the thing wasn't showing any. At once when he recognized it, memories returned to his head from long-passed days and the change in fate that saved the earth.  
  
TMA-1 was, in all sense of the phrase, the Monolith returned. Shinji didn't know weather it was placed after Earth's reconstruction or not- as all of humankind was removed from the Earth during it's rebuilding. From what Misato had said, however, this thing was buried under rock as old as humankind.   
  
Perhaps this was one of the few things left during their first visit? And what of David Bowman?  
  
Shinji approached the monolith slowly, reaching out with his fingers just as he had done years ago, during the first encounter in the same skies.  
  
And like then his fingers encountered resistance, the force barrier that prevented his hand from slipping into the infinite surface that shone back at him.  
  
"Well, this is undoubtedly one of the Monoliths we encountered twenty years ago," Misato was saying, "And the same one that hopped around the base."  
  
"Yeah," Kaji replied, "Funny finding one here on the moon. You think it will talk to us?"  
  
"No," Shinji replied and finished brushing his hand on the surface, "Whatever they had to say to us then was the end. This one's different."  
  
Shinji looked up at the monolith once more. And he was just thinking about the moon before his fateful encounter so long ago....  
  
"Hey," Misato said and hefted a lunar camera, "Want a picture?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Ritsuko asked and smiled, "Well here's one for the scrap books, all ex-Eva officers...hey, how about I do it."  
  
"Okay," Misato replied and handed the camera off to Ritsuko while she took stance beside her husband and the boy who piloted Eva.  
  
"Okay you three, ready?" Said Ritsuko, then, "Well what do you know, the sun's going to get the optimum angle here-"  
  
Shinji smiled as best as he could in the helmet, but the smile turned to a teeth-grinding when a sound shattered through the radio helmets. He looked up to see everyone else's helmets being clasped by their owners as the Radio blared through their helmets.  
  
Shinji whirled and looked at the monolith, and then looked up.  
  
Almost being eclipsed by the earth was the sun overhead. Of course! Optimum sunlight! A trigger....  
  
A trigger...  
  
When the radio died Misato cried, "What the hell was that? Malfunction?"  
  
"You guys heard it too, right?" Kaji asked.  
  
Ritsuko got up from where she staggered, "In my health..."  
  
Shinji was looking back at the monolith and then up at the sky. There was one dot up there that he had memorized from his astronomy classes in collage...  
  
Jupiter.  
  
Shinji's mind continued to drift as he stared up at the faint red dot in the lunar heavens. Someday, sometime, a ship had been sent out there. Should they do it again?  
  
Then again, Discovery would be ready for launch in about four month's time...  
  
But this time, the Monolith wouldn't be a secret. There would be no need to hide this fact from the crew- or Earth, for that matter- since it was already accepted that there was some force operating outside the solar system.  
  
Shinji could hardly wait to meet them.  
  
----------------------   
  
"...Yeah, I'm coming straight home after this, I promise." Said Shinji and nodded, "Uh-huh...bye hon."  
  
It was a week later since the Monolith encounter on Clavius, and that time later he had returned to one particular place. Shinji Ikari was the only one who really came back to this particular spot regularly.  
  
He closed the cell phone with one hand and looked out across the landscaped territory that once held the last city of mankind. Now, like so many cities in the past, it had become a memorial. The Geo front, of course, disappeared entirely and left no sign of the base when crews went to look for it- as if it never even existed.  
  
But the buildings and structures were still there, even though the massive Eva hanger was gone and it's doors lead to nowhere. Tokyo-3 was nothing more than a regular, average city with an abnormal, irregular past.  
  
Perhaps, someday, before his death more great things might happen here. But then again, just as so, perhaps it was best for this place to fade into obscurity. At least nothing wrong could happen any longer...  
  
He sighed and turned to the almost obsolete car that Misato had lent him. It seemed when David Bowman and his monoliths went to work, somehow, someway they restored this particular car to it's original stature. Misato had other vehicles- and bigger concerns, and since Shinji was getting out of collage...  
  
Petroleum was too expensive nowadays, so of course he replaced the engine with a fusion system. Other than that most of the gears and such remained the same.  
  
He drove off the same terrace, twenty-one years ago, that he looked over the city of Tokyo-3 for the first time to watch the buildings rise.  
  
------------------------------   
  
A long drive later he came to a stop in front of his house in the highlands around some of the newly established and rebuilt cities. Coincidentally, this was where most of the former NERV survivors had many houses to live in.  
  
He stopped the car in the driveway, closed the door and ascended the long stone steps to the house's front door, just briefly stopping to admire the garden he had planted when he came out of collage...  
  
He smiled at his work, again being prideful of the end product he had created. Unlike his father, he didn't neglect many of the works he started out to do and usually worked hard to finish them.  
  
Just as he was mindful of his work, he was also ever mindful of his family, and when he got through the doorway the first thing he did was set down his things to hug his children. Then he stood to kiss his wife, and ascended to look at himself in the mirror. All this, and so much more he was grateful to have.  
  
He wondered what his father would think of him now, as a successful young man with an intelligent mind and bright future. Perhaps finally he would have some approval from the man he had called father.  
  
It didn't matter anymore. He still had the rest of his life to live, starting tomorrow and the day afterward.  
  
=======================================   
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion is a Gainax production, Written and directed by Hideaki Anno. Some materials adapted from the manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto  
  
2001, 2010, 2061, and 3001 were written by Arthur C. Clarke. Some materials adapted from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, created by Stanley Kubrik.  
  
====================================== 


End file.
